Occupational risk factors for sleep quality among Serbian airline pilots

The ability of airline pilots to maintain a good level of sleep goes a long way in ensuring operational effectiveness with regard to safety as well as personal health. The study assesses the risk factors for sleep quality of airline pilots in Serbia with the objective of determining those factors, both occupational and lifestyle that are paramount in assisting with sleep health.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 66 Serbian commercial pilots, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess their sleep quality. Demographic, occupational, lifestyle, biological and psychological variables were obtained through validated questionnaires. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of poor sleep quality (PSQI ≥5).

Overall sleep quality was poor in 65.2% of the participants. Significant factors associated with poor sleep quality included years of experience (OR = 1.17, p = 0.007) and levels of stress (OR = 2.87, p = 0.004). Particular lifestyle variables, including factors such as coffee intake, had initial relationships with sleep quality but were not significant in the multivariate models. With regard to age, a significant univariate association was also revealed but was dropped in the final model because of collinearity with years of experience.

Serbian commercial pilots have a relatively high risk of inadequate sleep associated with years of experience and levels of stress. There is a need to implement organization-wide changes such as stress management schemes in order to improve sleep quality among pilots, and foster prioritizing well-being.