ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SLEEP QUALITY, ACADEMIC STRESSORS, AND OBESITY AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE WEST MIDLANDS, UK

Abstract

Objective: To assess the association between sleep quality, academic stressors, and obesity among university students. Study Design: Cross-sectional quantitative study. Place and Duration of Study: Universities in the West Midlands, United Kingdom, from June 2025 to December 2025. Methodology: A total of 206 undergraduate and postgraduate students aged ≥18 years were recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured self-administered online questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics, sleep quality, academic stressors, eating behaviour, and self-reported height and weight. Body mass index was calculated and classified according to World Health Organization criteria. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 29. Results: Most participants were aged 18–29 years (152, 73.8%) and female (172, 83.5%). Among 165 participants with valid anthropometric data, 34 (20.6%) were overweight and 14 (8.5%) were obese. Poor overall sleep quality was reported by 34 (16.5%) participants, while 53 (25.7%) slept for less than six hours per night. High or very high academic stress was reported by 65 (31.6%) students. Participants with high or very high academic stress had significantly higher odds of poor sleep quality (OR=2.89, 95% CI: 1.34–6.20, p=0.005), sleep duration <6 hours (OR=3.14, 95% CI: 1.62–6.09, p<0.001), and moderate/significant stress related sleep impairment (OR=3.70, 95% CI: 1.68–8.14, p<0.001). Conclusion: Academic stress was significantly associated with poorer sleep quality and shorter sleep duration among university students, while obesity was not significantly associated with the measured sleep or academic stress variables.