Screen Time, Well-Being, Sleep, and Physical Activity Among Allied Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Abstract

Background: Screen-based activities are an important part of student life and may influence sleep, physical activity, and perceived well-being. However, descriptive information on these behaviours among Allied Health Sciences (AHS) students in local institutional settings is limited.

Objective: To describe weekday and weekend screen-time patterns, sleep behaviour and self-rated sleep quality, physical activity, and self-reported well-being among undergraduate AHS students, and to describe the pattern of these behaviours within the study group.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted using a structured, self-administered Google Forms questionnaire. Using convenience (voluntary-response) sampling, the questionnaire was distributed to undergraduate students enrolled in the B.Sc. Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT), B.Sc. Anaesthesia Technology & Operation Theatre Technology (AT&OT), B.Sc. Medical Imaging Technology (MIT), and B.Sc. Renal Dialysis Technology (RDT) programmes at an RGUHS-affiliated institution in Karnataka, India. Participation was voluntary, and responses were collected anonymously over four months (January–April 2026). The form was circulated to approximately 60 eligible students, of whom 53 submitted complete responses, corresponding to a response rate of 88.3%. The questionnaire covered demographic characteristics; academic and non-academic screen use; device preference; reasons for non-academic use; pre-sleep screen exposure; sleep duration and self-rated sleep quality; a brief, author-developed (non-validated) well-being checklist; and moderate physical activity.

Results: Of the 53 respondents, 96.2% were female and 71.7% were first-year students. The largest programme groups were B.Sc. MLT (45.3%) and B.Sc. AT&OT (41.5%). Smartphones were the main device reported by 86.8% of participants. Entertainment (32.1%) and social media (26.4%) were the leading non-academic purposes. Screen use within 30 minutes of bedtime was reported by 50.9% of respondents. Sleep quality was rated as very good by 47.2% and fairly good by 47.2%. Moderate physical activity was reported on 0 days by 26.4%, on 1–2 days by 52.8%, on 3–4 days by 15.1%, and on 5–7 days by 5.7%.

Conclusion: The cohort showed frequent smartphone-centred screen use, common screen exposure near bedtime, and relatively low participation in structured moderate physical activity. These findings support institution-level digital-wellness and physical-activity promotion initiatives, but larger studies using validated, structured measures are needed.