330651
Relationship between sleep patterns and the nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) among a large sample of college students
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Jianjun Zhang, MS,
Department of Biostatistics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Poor sleep and substance use are prevalent among college students: approximately 60% report poor sleep patterns (defined as sleeping < 7 hours/night) and one in five students report the nonmedical use (NMU) of at least one prescription drug in their lifetime. This is the first known study to examine the relationship between sleep patterns and the NMU of stimulants, pain killers, sedatives, and antidepressants among college students. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed sleep patterns among college students using the ACHA-NCHA data (N=227,998; mean age 22). Data analysis included Chi-square and a multivariate logistic model that controlled for age, gender, and race. Results: About 88.4 % of all study participants reported not getting enough sleep (≤ 5 days/week) and 89.6 % reported problems with sleepiness during their day. Among nonmedical users of at least one prescrition drug , 89.2% reported not getting enough sleep; and 91.3% reported problems with sleepiness. Significant differences were detected between nonmedical users and non-users of perscription drugs in relation to awakening too early in the morning and being unable to get back to sleep (≥ 2 days/ week) (users: 34.9%; nonusers: 27.2%; P <0.0001); and with difficulty falling asleep (users: 47.6%; nonusers: 36.1%; P <0.0001). The logistic model revealed significant associations between NMUPD (p<0.0001) and awakening too early (OR=1.42), difficulty falling asleep (OR=1.55), and feeling sleepy (OR=1.33). Conclusion: Results suggest sleep patterns may be adversely influended by NMUPD. Efforts to promote college students‘ healthy sleep patterns should include screenings for NMUPD in prevention and intervention programs.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Differentiate between healthy sleepers and problematic sleepers.
Assess the association between the non-medical use of prescription drugs and sleep patterns.
Demonstrate understanding of the significance of promoting healthy sleep patterns among college students.
Keyword(s): College Students, Prescription Drug Abuse and Misuse
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: This is my first abstract that has been submitted for presentation. However, I have been the principal of a student project that had been accepted for poster in students' research conference in Saudi Arabia. In addition, I have gained the skills of conducting research and presenting my work during both my Master and PhD studies. Most of my assignments and presentations were related to students' sleep health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
