Physical Activity and Sleep Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from a Cluster Analysis
Physical Activity and Sleep Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from a Cluster Analysis

Summary/Abstract: This study examined the relationship between physical activity levels and sleep quality amongstudents during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying patterns through clustering analysis. A longi-tudinal cohort of 1,600 students from Wroclaw Medical University, Poland participated from Oc-tober 2020 to March 2021, with data collected in two stages: Stage I (n = 845) after six monthsand Stage II (n = 755) after one year. Physical activity levels, measured by the International PhysicalActivity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-S), were categorized as low, moderate, or high in meta-bolic equivalent of task (MET) minutes per week, while sleep quality was assessed using the Pitts-burgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), classifying participants as “good” or “poor” sleepers. Clusteringanalysis applied hierarchical agglomerative clustering (HAC) on 2021 data. Walking MET scoresincreased for both genders from 2020 to 2021, with significant gender differences. Femalesshowed increased total MET, while male scores remained stable. Four clusters emerged: Clusters1 and 2, with high walking plus vigorous or moderate activity, had shorter sleep durations, sug-gesting higher activity supports better sleep. Cluster 3, with low vigorous and moderate activity,had longer sleep duration, while Cluster 4, with irregular activity, showed the longest sleep dura-tion, indicating inconsistent activity may increase sleep needs. Overall, consistent and varied phys-ical activity may support optimal sleep patterns among students.

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