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PreReview of The Impact of Unhealthy Eating Behaviors on Sleep Quality Among University Students: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Authors: Maha Al-Jawarneh

Joanna Adewunmi, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

This review is the result of an in-person preprint review workshop organized and hosted by the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The discussion was held on February 10 and February 27 and was joined by 8 people: 5 PhD students and 3 facilitators - Janaynne, Kyu, and Alaina. We thank all participants who contributed to the discussion as a group and reviewed their selected preprints individually.

SUMMARY PARAGRAPH

The paper examines how detrimental dietary behaviors impact sleep quality among international university students. Specifically, eating close to bedtime, substituting meals with snacks, late-night snacking, skipping breakfast, consuming heavy evening meals, and irregular eating schedules.

The author creates a hypothesis that these poor dietary habits are connected to poorer sleep quality among international students. The study found out that poor eating habits such as heavy evening meals, snacking, and sleeping close to mealtimes are significantly connected to poor sleep quality among international students

This research is relevant for investigating eating habits and other factors affecting sleep quality and, broadly, the productivity of international students in various universities.

There is, however, no specified research question(s) guiding the research methodology.

The authors adopted a cross-sectional quantitative research design, using a self-administered questionnaire to get data from international students aged 18 and above between September and November 2024.

Convenience sampling was used in recruiting students employed in the Fall 2024/25 academic year at the University of Pecs.

The authors found that over half of the students surveyed experienced poor sleep quality. Additionally, cultural adaptation, language barriers, and isolation from support systems pose additional stressors for the international students. In terms of gender, female students reported poorer sleep in comparison to male students; and substantially higher levels of daytime dysfunction. Regarding correlation, there is a strong association between unhealthy eating patterns and overall poor sleep quality. I find it interesting that the components responsible for poor quality of sleep differs among gender.

Some of the findings correlated with the literature cited show clearly that the study is a relevant and ongoing issue that needs continual research until the problem is solved or minimized. The findings of this study will inform further research in exploring other areas of people’s lived experiences that could impact their sleep quality, thereby, building on this study to establish a fact that poor eating habits significantly influence sleep quality.

The strength of the paper is in the analysis (cross-tabulation and multiple logistic regression) showing the correlation between eating habit factors and poor overall sleep. The weakness is the lack of specificity of research questions, and test of hypothesis.

CONCERNS WITH METHODS/DATA

Major issues and feedback

• The study did not state specific research questions or objectives. Also, even though a hypothesis was suggested, it was not specified beyond the introduction of the paper, which makes it difficult to link the results of the data analysis to a particular research question. I recommend that research questions should be clearly stated and explicit. Also, each question should be linked to the findings and results reported.

• Another issue is a lack of clear conceptualization of “poor sleep quality” in the introduction of the work. While its components were mentioned in the results of data analysis and discussion sections, the paper would benefit from an extended conceptualization of these concepts in relation to what has been reported in literature. This will give a more contextual understanding of what poor sleep quality means in the context and settings of the research. There is a need for a sharper conceptualization of all variables of interest.

CONCERNS WITH FIGURES/TABLES & RESULTS

Minor issues and feedback

• The tables are clear and easy to understand. I recommend applying grid lines to the table for a better presentation for easy reading and following.

• The conclusions were not overreached. They were exact and clearly supported by the data and linked to previous studies.

• Limitations to the study were not discussed. I recommend that there should be a limitation section present in the work to give proper contexts on what the study couldn’t cover and areas to be focused on in future research.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The supplementary material provided by the author shows transparency of the data collection instrument which would be useful in reproducing a similar study.

The method of data collection was well described and clearly outlined. The sample size was appropriately selected using World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

Ethical concerns were discussed – the author mentioned that informed consent was obtained from the students before they were given the questionnaires. Moreover, there was IRB approval for the study.

OTHER POINTS

I would recommend this manuscript for others to read and for journal publication . It discusses relevant issues about behaviors and practices that are of utmost concern among the international community. From this work, I learnt a new sample size selection technique.

I have no competing interests.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The authors declare that they did not use generative AI to come up with new ideas for their review.