Abstract:
Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of poor sleep quality and to determine the factors associated with it among Myanmar migrant workers in Malaysia.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 216 Myanmar migrant workers who visited the Cahaya Suria Building in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, during the study period of two weeks in Septemper 2014. Systemic random sampling with replacement method was carried out and visitors who met the selection criteria were recruited into the study. A face to face interview, to filled up the questionnaire, was used to detect the prevalence of poor sleep quality and it’s associated factors.
Results: The proportion of Myanmar migrant workers who scored PSQI index of five and above was 62.5%. Factors that were statistically and significantly associated with poor sleep quality were body mass index, skill level, shift work, days worked per week, working hours per day, and work-related physical tiredness. Other factors had no significant association with poor sleep quality.
Conclusions: The findings of this study showed that the prevalence of poor sleep quality among Myanmar migrant workers was 62.5%. Multivariate analysis revealed that workers with lower body mass index were found to be significantly associated with poor sleep. Similarly, higher-level skill workers were more likely to have poor sleep compared to lower-level skill workers. Working shifts, working more than five days per week and prolonged working hours more than eight hours a day were another factors that were associated with poor sleep quality. Lastly, those migrant workers who reported that their work was physically tiring were also found to be associated with poor sleep.
Key words: Poor sleep quality, determinants, Myanmar migrant workers, Pittsbury Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Malaysia.
