Insufficient sleep and risk behaviors among urban adolescents: Relations between sleep deprivation and tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use

Background: Current research indicates that sleep disturbance is associated with various risk behaviors in adolescents. However, less well known is the relationship between insufficient sleep and tobacco, alcohol, and drug use among ethnically diverse urban adolescents. This study evaluated the relationship between insufficient sleep (6 hours or less on a school night) and tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use among urban high school students.

Methodology: Data from the 2009 Philadelphia Youth Risk Behavior Survey were analyzed. Forty-eight percent of respondents (N= 19,493 / 40,801) reported getting an average of 6 hours or less of sleep on a school night. Research questions examined substance use in the past 30 days (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana). Analyses included chi square tests and odds ratio calculations.

Results: Among adolescents reporting insufficient sleep, 13% (n = 2,239) engaged in tobacco use, 38% (n = 6,158) engaged in alcohol use, and 20% (n = 3,616) engaged in marijuana use within the past 30 days. As compared to peers with sufficient sleep (8 or more hours), sleep deprived adolescents are .679 times (95% CI: .632, .721) more likely to smoke, .707 times (95%CI: .685, .730) more likely to use alcohol, and .914 times (95% CI: .877, .954) more likely to smoke marijuana.

Conclusion: Findings indicate that adolescents who report insufficient sleep are at increased risk for engaging in risky health behaviors that include smoking, drinking, and using marijuana. Health screenings should evaluate sleep, and target sleep hygiene interventions, given the significant associations between sleep and risk-taking behaviors.