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. 2023 Apr 24;13(1):6652.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-33851-3.

Relationship between free-time physical activity and sleep quality in Brazilian university students

Mayara Santos  1 , Rafaela Sirtoli  1 , Renne Rodrigues  1 , José Francisco López-Gil  2   3   4 , Vicente Martínez-Vizcaíno  5   6 , Camilo Molino Guidoni  1 , Arthur Eumann Mesas  7   8
Affiliations

Relationship between free-time physical activity and sleep quality in Brazilian university students

Mayara Santos et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Poor sleep quality and low or no free-time physical activity (FTPA) practice are highly prevalent among university students, but the association between these conditions is still unclear. This cross-sectional study analyzed the relationship between FTPA and sleep quality. An online questionnaire was conducted with university students from a public university in southern Brazil in 2019. The weekly frequency of FTPA was self-reported, and sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Logistic regression and ANCOVA models were performed and adjusted for confounders. Among the 2,626 students analyzed, 52.2% did not practice the FTPA, and 75.6% had poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5). In the adjusted analysis, practicing FTPA 4-7 times/week was associated with poor sleep quality (odds ratio = 0.71; 95% confidence interval = 0.52, 0.97) compared with not practicing FTPA. In addition, those who practiced FTPA had significantly lower means of the global PSQI, subjective sleep quality and duration, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction scores than those who did not practice FTPA. In conclusion, the FTPA may contribute to better sleep quality among university students.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Raw estimated marginal means of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score and its components by frequency of free-time physical activity in Brazilian university students. Values were obtained with unadjusted ANCOVA models.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Adjusted estimated marginal means of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score and its components by frequency of free-time physical activity in Brazilian university students. Values were obtained with ANCOVA models adjusted for sex, age, weight status, alcohol intake, tobacco smoking, fruit consumption, social support and depressive symptoms.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Flow diagram of the study participants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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