Screen-based media device use, its associated factors and sleep outcomes among undergraduate health students studying in colleges of Kathmandu valley, Nepal

People of all age groups are engaged with various screen-based devices. Use of screen-based media devices beyond duration considered problematic has become a problem worldwide. Yet, undergraduate students are engaged in various screen-based activities for academic works and entertainment which can influence their sleep. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to collect information from 384 undergraduate students using a web-based questionnaire and convenience sampling technique. The data collected was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0. Descriptive and regression analyses were done to explore factors that influence screen-based media use. The average duration of screen-based media use by the participants was found to be 7.12 hours per day. Factors such as sex of the participants, the use of screen-based media during major mealtimes and home-specific rules limiting screen-based media use were found to be associated with screen-based media use. Only 45.3% of participants got the recommended hours of sleep (7 or more hours). Around 9.4% of the participants had long sleep onset latency (more than 45 minutes). Participants who used screen-based media devices during night before sleep were more likely to get insufficient sleep (OR (Odds Ratio) 3.668, 95% CI (Confidence Interval) (1.784-7.539)). A significant association was found between sex of the participants, use of screen-based media devices during major meal times and home rules limiting screen-based media use with the use of screen-based media for five hours or more per day. Screen-based media use and screen-based media use during night influence the quantity of sleep. Overuse of screen-based media is degrading the quality of sleep among undergraduate health students and is an alarming problem. There is a need to promote good sleeping habits through the reduction of this modifiable behaviour, which could be done by promoting home-based rules about screen-based media devices use, especially at night before sleep.