Frequency of physical inactivity and insufficient sleep, and their mixed effects on academic achievement in ethnic minority students: A matched case–control study in a dental school

  Ethnic  minorities  are  underrepresented  in  health  sciences  programs  in  various   nations. Furthermore, there is no known research studying the occurrence of physical inactivity (PI)  and insufficient sleep (IS), and their effects on academic achievement (AA) in ethnic minority  students (EMS) in higher education.

The objective of this study is to explore the occurrence of PI and IS, and their  independent and mixed effects on AA in EMS of a dental school.

Thirty EMS and sixty non‑EMSs were matched (1:2) in this  case–control study. It was utilized as an administrative dataset that stores register related to the  students. Moreover, the grade point average was considered an indicator of AA. Logistic regressions  models were run, expressed in odds ratios, complemented by confidence intervals (CIs) of 95%.

A total of 73% and 60% EMS were PI and slept insufficiently, respectively. The groups  presented statistically significant differences (P < 0.0001) in physical activity, sleep, and AA, with  inferior values for EMS. All unadjusted models showed that PS, IS, and low AA were strongly  associated with EMS, demonstrating their independent effect. After controlling for PI and IS, the  multivariate model for AA and EMS increased odds by 6.5 times (95%CI: 1.8–23;), indicating  that EMS is strongly associated with low AA. Besides, PI and IS were also statistically significant  higher (<0.0001) in the model, demonstrating their mixed effect.

This study found a higher occurrence of PI and IS in EMS. Besides, independent  and mixed effects of these variables on low AA in EMS were very significant.