Abstract
Objectives: To ascertain the relationship between electronic media use and sleep patterns among secondary school students in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia.Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted from July 2021 to December 2021. This study examined eight female secondary high schools, in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. The sampling technique used was the stratification of governmental schools according to their location in the north, south, east, and west. According to the WHO sample size calculator, the sample size was 375. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26 (SPSS version 26) (SPSS Incl., Chicago, IL) was used for the analysis of data.Results: A total of 388 female students were recruited, from the age group 12 to 40 years, with a mean age group of 16.45 ± 4.25 years. The majority of participants in our research utilized various types of electronic devices before going to bed. Some 335 individuals reported using electronic devices on a daily basis while at school, while 357 reported using electronic devices prior to sleeping on weekends. The more time spent on electronic gadgets, the more sleep is interrupted (p-value = 0.005). This condition was more prevalent among older children: 55% of third-year children and 41% of second-year children reported having it (p = 0.01). More than 20% had difficulty sleeping. Around 5% of respondents reported experiencing frequent nightly awakenings, whereas 23% reported feeling drowsy/sleepy feeling at school. After 10:00 p.m., 43% of the population (mostly the young) headed to bed, while older children remained awake (p = 0.001). Having a mobile phone (odds ratio, OR = 2.5; p = 0.01) or tablet (OR = 2.5; p = 0.05) was a significant predictor of sleep issues in the logistic regression model.Conclusion: The use of electronic media and the amount of time secondary school children spend on it can significantly alter sleep quality, through interrupted rest, and time, from a reduced duration of sleep. Parents and care providers can help by creating awareness about the negative effects of using electronic media on sleep and health among children.
Highlights
We spend up to one-third of our lives sleeping, our general "sleep health" is an important issue to consider throughout our lives [1]
This study is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia to assess the quality of sleep due to the use of electronic media as the use has significantly increased among adolescents, which can have a detrimental effect on their sleep quality
The majority of the students were in the age group 20 years (376/96.9%)
Summary
We spend up to one-third of our lives sleeping, our general "sleep health" is an important issue to consider throughout our lives [1]. Sleeplessness among adolescents has been linked with various negative health outcomes, like obesity [2], mood disorders [3], and psychological distress [4]. Sleep deprivation has been linked with difficulties in performing daily activities [5] and school work, which negatively impacts their performance [6]. The over-use of electronic gadgets has been significantly associated with sleeplessness as adolescents spend most of their evening time watching or using electronic media. It is reported [9] that about 80% of children 0-18 years old watch television before going to sleep. This study is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia to assess the quality of sleep due to the use of electronic media as the use has significantly increased among adolescents, which can have a detrimental effect on their sleep quality
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