Differences in Sleep Quality and Sleepiness among Veterinary Medical Students at Multiple Institutions before and after the Pandemic Induced Transition to Online Learning

Abstract

Poor sleep health has been previously documented in veterinary medical students. However, it is not known how universal or widespread this problem is. This study evaluated Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores to measure sleep health among students at seven colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States (US). Inadvertently, the transition to online only learning due to the global COVID-19 pandemic was also captured. Veterinary students were found to have universally poor sleep quality and high daytime sleepiness. The transition to online only learning appeared to have little impact on sleep quality, but improved daytime sleepiness scores were observed. The findings suggest poor sleep health is common among veterinary medical students at multiple institutions in the US and that further investigation is necessary.

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Keywords

Veterinary Sciences, Education & Educational Research, sleep quality, sleepiness, veterinary medical students, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, Epworth sleepiness scale, CURRICULUM, 3009 Veterinary Sciences, 30 Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences, 3903 Education Systems, 39 Education, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, Sleep Research, Behavioral and Social Science, 3 Good Health and Well Being

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