Sleep Patterns among University Students and Insomnia Management in Primary Care Settings in Qatar: A Two-Phase Investigation

Abstract

Insomnia is a public health concern that affects approximately a third of adult population worldwide. The aim of this research was to investigate insomnia and its management among university students and primary care centers in Qatar using quantitative and qualitative methods, respectively. The first phase of this research consisted of a cross-sectional quantitative survey to explore the pattern and quality of sleep among Qatar University (QU) students using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Sleep Hygiene Index. In the second phase, qualitative interviews were used to explore the perspectives of healthcare providers (HCPs) working at primary health care centers (PHCCs) regarding insomnia and its management. Approximately 70% of QU students reported scores consistent with poor sleep quality and 79% reported poor sleep hygiene. Students with good sleep hygiene compared to those with poor sleep hygiene were about four times more likely to have good sleep quality (OR= 3.66, 95% CI= 2.8 4.8, p < 0.001). The interviews with 19 HCPs generated five themes, including general perspectives on insomnia, view of primary healthcare as the setting for insomnia management, current practices for insomnia management at PHCCs, HCPs’ role perception, and challenges facing insomnia management at PHCCs. The findings from this two-phase investigation revealed that insomnia is common among university students in Qatar and that it is associated with poor sleeping habits. HCPs at PHCCs expressed awareness of the magnitude of insomnia as a problem of public health significance but appeared to find its management challenging.