Sleepless in school: The role of social determinants of sleep health among college students

Sleep health is a public health concern and has been linked to an increased risk of number of deleterious health outcomes. Poor sleep health has been documented among college student populations; however, few studies have examined the social determinants of deficient sleep. The present study aims to address this gap, with emphasis on food insecurity, psychological distress, everyday discrimination, and academic performance. Participants (n = 282) completed self-report measures online assessing the variables of interest for the present study. Results revealed that the majority of college students in our sample reported feeling tired, fatigue, or daytime sleepiness and sleeping less than eight hours per night during the school week. Poor sleep health was significantly associated with being food insecurity, serious psychological distress, and poorer self-rated mental and physical health. Results have important implications for the development of targeted evidence-based interventions to improve sleep health among college populations.