Sleep and Stress Level of College Students Developing a Health Promotion Intervention: Get Fruved Study

The objective of this study was to examine sleep hours (SH) and perceived stress (PS) levels in college students. Freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior college students (n=280) from four land‐grant, public universities (Florida, South Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia) where enrolled in the “Get Fruved” research study and trained via two multi‐university courses. In the courses, the students worked with researchers and Extension Professionals to develop a peer‐led, social marketing and environmental change intervention at each of their respective campuses. Baseline assessments included behavioral (SH and PS) and demographic characteristics (including age, race/ethnicity, residing on/off campus, # hours working, relationship status, GPA, student athlete status, financial aid). SD was determined by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; PS via Cohen Perceived Stress Scale. Demographic differences in SD and PS were evaluated by one‐way ANOVA. SD (x=7.3±1.1) differed between universities (p<0.01), among age groups (p<0.05), and among different working hour groups (p<0.01). Hispanic students reported higher levels of stress compared to students not identifying as Hispanic (25.65 vs. 22.58, p<0.01); Asian students reported higher levels of stress than students of other races (27.53 vs. 22.63 p<0.01). SD and PS did not differ between students living on/off campus, by relationship status, GPA, athlete status, or financial aid status. Future wellness interventions targeting college students should consider geographical, racial/ethnic, and behavioral differences as they relate to sleep and perceived stress. Support or Funding Information Funding support USDA/AFRI #2014‐67001‐21851