Relationship between body mass index, sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness among medical students at Vila Velha University

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the influence of BMI on the quality of sleep and daytime sleepiness of medical students at Universidade Vila Velha (UVV). Assessment methodology: Cross-sectional observational study, with students from the UVV medical course, from the 1st to the 12th period. Number of individuals and characteristics of the sample studied: 216 individuals participated, over 18 years of age, who are studying Medicine at Universidade Vila Velha in 2022. Data collection will be carried out in two stages, between August 2022 and January 2023. Intervention carried out: First stage: free and informed consent form and assessment form with sociodemographic and anthropometric data. Second stage: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index5.6 and Epworth Sleepiness Scale7.8. Statistical analyzes of the collected data were performed using the SPSS 20.0 program (SPSS® Inc, Chicago, IL). Participant characteristics are presented as mean, standard deviation and percentage. To assess whether the data has a Gaussian distribution, the Shapiro-Wilk test was applied. To compare parametric variables between subgroups, the unpaired Student t test was performed, and for non-parametric variables, the Wilcoxon test was performed. To check existing correlations between variables, the Pearson correlation test was used for parametric data or the Spearman test for non-parametric data. And values ​​with p<0.059 were considered significant. Results found: in relation to BMI, subgroup 1 was 23.28 ± 3.94 Kg/m2. In subgroup 2, 22.94 ± 3.29 kg/m2. In subgroup 3 it was 23.21 ± 3.45 kg/m2. Regarding sleep quality, in the Basic Cycle group there was an average score of 7.22 ± 3.10. In the Intermediate Cycle group, the average achieved was 7.17 ± 3.11 and in the Internship group the average was 6.86 ± 3.29. In all cases, p value < 0.05. Regarding daytime sleepiness, based on the averages, the Basic Cycle group was allocated to Abnormal Sleepiness”, with an average score of 10.33 ± 4.70 (p < 0.01). The Clinical/Intermediate Cycle group obtained “Moderate Sleepiness”, with an average of 8.83 ± 4.16 (p = 0.16) and the Internship group also obtained “Moderate Daytime Sleepiness”, with an average of 7.79 ± 3.67 (p = 0.15). Conclusion: The data collected indicates that the Basic Cycle group of medical students was the most affected in relation to body mass index (BMI), sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. The Basic Cycle had the highest mean BMI, worst sleep quality and highest rate of daytime sleepiness compared to the Internship and Clinical Cycle groups. These results emphasize the relationship between BMI, sleep quality and daytime sleepiness and show the need for attention and intervention in these health aspects among medical students during the Basic Cycle.