Exploring the interplay between stress level, sleep quality, and body composition among university students: A...

High levels of stress and inadequate sleep are contributing factors that influence body composition and physical health. Therefore, this study explored the prevalence and interrelationship between stress level, sleep quality, and body composition among medical undergraduate students at the University of Sharjah.

This quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among medical university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (n = 911). Anthropometric measurements and body composition analysis (BCA) were carried out. Moreover, perceived stress was measured using the Perception of Stress Scale (PSS)-10, while sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaires. A simple linear regression test was used to investigate the relationship between the primary outcome-dependent variable (PSQI and PSS) and the independent variable (BCA). Descriptive and analytical statistics were conducted using SPSS software version 29, with a significance level set at P < 0.05.

Around 12% of the students were obese, and most students exhibited moderate stress levels and poor sleep quality. The PSS scores were significant (P = 0.0001) and positively associated with the PQSI scores. Sleep quality scores revealed a positive and significant correlation with fat mass (FM) (P = 0.022), visceral fat rating (VFR) (P = 0.011), and visceral fat surface area (VFSA) (P = 0.011), while negatively correlated with total body water percentage (P = 0.02). Perceived stress showed a significantly positive correlation with FM (P = 0.003) while negatively correlated with fat-free mass (FFM) (P = 0.000), muscle mass (MM) (P = 0.000), total body water (TBW) (P = 0.000), total body water % (TBW%) (P = 0.000), bone mass (BM) (P = 0.000), and basal metabolic rate (BMR) (P = 0.000).

The high prevalence of perceived stress and poor sleep quality interact in a directionally significant manner, influencing the physical health and body composition of the students.