Sixteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

College environment has a significant impact on students’ sleep health. Lack of sleep and irregular sleeping patterns can lead to obesity, depression, and cardiovascular disease, which can be detrimental to one’s physical and mental well-being. National Institute of Health using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) on college students reported about 60% of students in the US suffer from poor quality of sleep. American College Health Association [ACHA] has started assessing sleep health status of several colleges and indicated that most colleges do not offer positive environment to promote student sleep health. The purpose of this study was to assess the environmental factors related to sleep health of a Northeastern private college. An observational study design was conducted using a College Sleep Environmental Scan instrument that was developed by the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota. The scan consisted of eleven sections on college environment. Results indicated that out of a possible 269 points, this college scored 152 points. This equates to a score of 57% out of total score indicating that this college would receive an F letter grade based on the academic grading scale. Since this is a mid-sized private school in a rural, “healthy” town, the environment was expected to be positive. Apparently, there is a room for improvement in many areas. Based on the findings a set of recommendations is provided for the college to consider environmental modification and promote students’ sleep health.