Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards sleep disorders among high school students: a cross-sectional study

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Adolescent Health
• Public Health

Background:

• Sleep disorders are prevalent among high school students globally.
• Limited research exists on the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of sleep disorders in Chinese high school students.
• High academic pressure in China exacerbates adolescent sleep issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the KAP of Chinese high school students toward sleep disorders.
• To identify knowledge gaps and inform targeted educational interventions.
• To provide insights into improving adolescent sleep health in high-pressure academic environments.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 800 high school students in China.
• Data collected via self-administered questionnaires, including demographic information, the Self-Rating Scale of Sleep (SRSS), and KAP scores.
• Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) used to analyze relationships between sleep quality, knowledge, attitude, and practice.

Main Results:

• Participants had mean SRSS scores of 23.51±6.18, knowledge scores of 10.00±4.84, attitude scores of 35.53±4.23, and practice scores of 28.85±6.29.
• Sleep quality significantly influenced knowledge, attitude, and practice (all p<0.001).
• Knowledge directly impacted attitude (p<0.001) and practice (p<0.001), while attitude directly affected practice (p=0.042).

Conclusions:

• Significant knowledge deficits regarding sleep disorders exist among Chinese high school students.
• Poor sleep quality is linked to lower knowledge, negative attitudes, and inadequate practices concerning sleep disorders.
• Tailored educational interventions integrated into high school curricula are urgently needed to enhance sleep disorder knowledge and promote better sleep outcomes.