Knowledge, Associated Factors and Effects of Sleep Quality on the Academic Performance Among High School Students in Selected Secondary Schools in Buea, Cameroon

Purpose: Most high school students have poor sleep quality which tends to affect their academic performance accompanied by other associated factors. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, associated factors and effects of sleep quality on academic performance among high school students in selected secondary schools in Buea. Materials and Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 296 high school students in Bilingual Grammar School, Government Technical High School and Summerset Bilingual College, Molyko, Buea. Data was collected using structured pre-tested questionnaires covering Socio-demographic data, sleep quality assessment using the Pittsburg sleep quality index scale (PSQI), knowledge, associated factors and effects on academic performance. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 28.0, with descriptive statistics and chi-square tests used to determine associations at a significant level of p < 0.05. Data was presented using tables and pie charts. Findings: The study found that 67.9% of high school students had good sleep quality and 62.8% of them had good knowledge. The study also found that school related stress (p<0.001) and screen exposure before sleep (p<0.001) were significantly associated with poor sleep quality. Meanwhile, the study found no significant relationship between self-rated sleep quality and academic performance (p=0.568). Rather, daytime sleepiness showed a strong effect with academic performance (p=0.016). Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study emphasizes the need for students to identify and use good practices that will improve their sleep quality, as well as gain more knowledge about sleep quality and its effects to mental health and academic performance. Keywords Sleep quality, Academic performance, high school students, school-related stress, knowledge, associated factors, effects.