Sleep duration and adolescent vision outcomes: evidence from rural China
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: To examine the association between weekday sleep duration and visual health among adolescents in low-resource rural settings, and to explore potential behavioral mechanisms. We used cross-sectional data from 36,139 rural primary and junior high school students in northwestern China (2012, 2019). Visual acuity was assessed via standardized LogMAR tests. To address potential endogeneity in self-reported sleep, we applied two-stage least squares regression with sunset time as an instrumental variable. Students averaged 8.65 weekday sleep hours, and 58.3 % slept fewer than 9 h—below age-specific recommendations. Instrumental variable estimates indicated that each additional weekday sleep hour reduced the LogMAR score by 0.070 ( p < 0.05), indicating better vision. Mechanism analysis suggested that shorter sleep was linked to greater late-night screen use and near work. Insufficient weekday sleep is associated with poorer vision among rural adolescents, potentially mediated by digital screen exposure. School-based programs that promote adequate sleep and reduce nighttime screen use may offer a low-cost, scalable approach to support visual health in under-resourced areas. • Longer sleep is linked to fewer vision problems in rural adolescents. • Sunset time is used as an instrument to predict sleep duration. • Associations are stronger among students at higher myopia risk. • Adequate sleep may help reduce eye strain and near work. • Improving sleep habits may help reduce vision disparities in low-resource settings.
Source: Preventive Medicine Reports
Authors: Hongyu Guan, Xiangzhe Chen, Wenting Liu, Lidong Zhang, Yuxiu Ding
Institution: Shaanxi Normal University
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,610
Award: G3081335253
OpenAlex ID: W4414169016