Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student' sleep patterns, sexual activity, screen use, and food intake: A global survey.

Passent Ellakany,Brandon Brown,Bamidele Emmanuel Osamika,Mark Roque,Joanne Lusher,Eshrat Ara,Giuliana Florencia Abeldaño,Zumama Khalid,Oliver Ezechi,Maha El Tantawi,Anas Shamala,Folake Barakat Lawal,Ala’A B Al-Tammemi,Abeedha Tu-Allah Khan,Mohammed Jafer,Balgis Gaffar,Benjamin Uzochukwu,Martin Amogre Ayanore,Anthonia Omotola Ishabiyi,Mir Faeq Ali Quadri,Nourhan M Aly,Jorma I Virtanen,Ntombifuthi P Nzimande ,Muhammad Yousaf ,Nuraldeen Maher Al‐Khanati ,Annie Nguyen ,Roberto Ariel Abeldaño Zúñiga ,Morẹ́nikẹ́ Oluwátóyìn Foláyan

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0262617

Abstract

BackgroundThe education sector experienced substantial impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic resulting from worldwide restrictions.PurposeTo examine differences in the sleep patterns, sexual activity, screen use, and food intake of students and non-students during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis was a global cross-sectional study conducted in the second half of 2020 using multiple social media platforms to recruit study participants globally. A close-ended questionnaire was administered anonymously in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic to adults ages 18 and older. The outcome variables considered in analyses were changes in sleep pattern, sexual activity, screen use, and food intake. The explanatory variable was student status categorized as students vs. non-student. T-test, chi-square, and Mann Whitney U tests were used to assess differences between student and non-student populations. One logistic regression model was built for each outcome variable. Country of residence and country income level were included in the adjusted models.ResultsThere were 17,008 participants of which 3,793 (22.3%) were students. Of the total sample, 4,889 (28.7%) reported changes in sleep, 4,642 (31.8%) reported increases in sexual activity, 10,278 (70.7%) reported increases in screen use, and 5,662 (40.2%) reported increases in food intake during the pandemic. Compared to non-students, students had significantly higher odds of reporting changes in sleep (AOR = 1.52), increases in sexual activity (AOR = 1.79), and increases in screen use (AOR = 1.36) but lower odds of reporting increase in food intake (AOR = 0.87).ConclusionStudents displayed higher risk of experiencing changes in sleep, sexual behavior, and screen use during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has the potential to lead to broader adverse effects on students’ overall wellbeing. The findings and implications raise further obligations on the education sector to put extra-curricular support systems in place that address COVID-19 related behavior changes that have the potential to adversely impact students’ wellbeing.

Highlights

The academic sector has been highly impacted by the lockdowns instituted as a containment measure during the COVID-19 pandemic [1]
The results show that, compared to non-students, students had significantly higher odds of reporting changes in sleep (AOR = 1.52; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.39, 1.67), increases in sexual activity (AOR = 1.79; 95% CI: 1.62, 1.97) and increases in screen use (AOR = 1.36; 95% CI: 1.23, 1.52), but lower odds of reporting increases in food intake (AOR = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.79, 0.95)
Our findings show that changes in sleep pattern and increases in screen use was significantly higher among people residing in upper middle-income countries (UMICs) than in high-income countries (HICs), and lower in lowincome countries (LICs)/lower middle-income countries (LMICs) than HICs

Summary

Introduction

The academic sector has been highly impacted by the lockdowns instituted as a containment measure during the COVID-19 pandemic [1]. Educational activities, in countries that enforced total lockdown, shifted from physical presence to virtual learning using digital communication platforms to maintain social distancing, minimize in-person contact, and contain the spread of the pandemic [3,4,5]. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students globally program courses according to schedule [6]. This has the potential to strain affected student’s finances, psychological welfare, and attainment of future goals [1]. The use of digital platforms enabled students to continue to attend classes in a virtual capacity and reduce the fear of graduation delay and concerns about the withdrawal of funding before the end of the school program [3, 6]. The education sector experienced substantial impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic resulting from worldwide restrictions.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion