•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Purpose: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a prevalent but underdiagnosed sleep disorder especially among undergraduate medical students. This study aimed to assess the lifestyle habits among undergraduate medical students and their association with risk of OSA in urban part of Tamil Nadu.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 315 undergraduate medical students aged 18-25 years. Data collection was done by using STOP-BANG Questionnaire for OSA risk assessment and a google form-based proforma to evaluate lifestyle habits. Statistical analysis, including the Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square test, were used to evaluate associations between lifestyle factors and OSA risk.

Results:

The overall findings from Mann-Whitey U test, Chi-square test and Logistic regression underscores the robust relationship between consumption of processed and sugary food and high risk of OSA. This is the only lifestyle predictor with strong statistical significance in logistic regression (OR = 4.98, p-value = 0.034) that is strongly supported by both Mann-Whitney U test (p-value=0.0074) and Chi-square test (p-value = 0.0224).

Conclusion:

The present study highlights the crucial role of dietary habits, especially frequent processed and sugary foods consumption as a strong independent predictor of OSA risk among undergraduate medical students. The findings imply that targeted dietary interventions are crucial to effectively reduce the OSA risk in this population. Proper steps might be taken to integrate these lifestyle considerations into Competency-Based Medical Education of medical student’s curriculum to protect the wellness of medical students that could potentially support them to withstand their academic burden leading to improved academic performance and competent professional.

Download

Share

COinS