Association Between Diet Diversity and Sleep Quality Among Medical Students: A Cross‐Sectional Study at Rawalpindi Medical University
Zainab Salam, Muddassir Khalid, Sobia Safeer, Hunzla Saleem, Rehab Khalid, Muhammad Ahmad Bin Kashif, Laiba Yumn, Syed Farooq Shafiq, Hadia Jamil, Sumia Fatima, Fred SegawaABSTRACT
Introduction
Sleep represents a fundamental pillar of human health. Despite growing evidence highlighting its association with diet, limited data exist on how overall diet diversity relates to sleep health among medical students in low‐ and middle‐income countries.
Objective
This study aims to assess the association between diet diversity and sleep quality among medical students.
Methodology
A cross‐sectional study was conducted at Rawalpindi Medical University among undergraduate medical students from first to final year. A sample size of 246 participants was selected using non‐probability purposive sampling. Data were collected using the Diet Quality Questionnaire (DQQ), from which the Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) was derived, along with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Healthy Eating Index (HEI). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. Poor sleep quality was defined as a PSQI global score > 5.
Results
A total of 246 undergraduate medical students participated in the study, of which 61% were female. More than 70% of participants reported poor sleep quality. Sleep quality showed no significant differences across gender ( p = 0.9), year of study, or resident status. Higher body mass index was significantly associated with poorer sleep ( p = 0.04). Higher diet diversity was associated with better sleep quality, with each one‐point increase in diet diversity score associated with an 11.8% reduction in the odds of poor sleep (B = −0.126, OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.78–1.00, p = 0.042). Students with good sleep had higher median diet diversity scores compared with those with poor sleep (Mann–Whitney U = 5312.5, Z = −1.984, p = 0.047). Sleep medication use was significantly higher among females ( p < 0.001).
Conclusion
A high prevalence of poor sleep quality (> 70%) was observed among both male and female medical students. Most notably, greater diet diversity was associated with better sleep quality. Improving diet diversity and managing BMI could be strategic targets for enhancing sleep quality among medical students.