Patterns, determinants and associated outcomes with adolescent sleep health in Africa: A scoping review
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
- 2Wits Sleep Laboratory, Brain Function Research Group, Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 3University Library, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria
- 4College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
- 5MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 6School of Public Health, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria
- 7Department of Community Health, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
Abstract
Sleep health in adolescence is a global public health concern. However, limited studies on adolescent sleep health in Africa exist, and the extent of the available literature on the African continent has not been previously mapped. This review aimed to map the studies on adolescent sleep health in Africa with a focus on the geographical distribution, publication trends, pattern of sleep health measures, prevalence of sleep disorders, the barriers and facilitators to good sleep health, rural-urban disparities, as well as the associations of sleep health with mental health, school schedule and cardio-metabolic risk among the adolescents. All published articles on adolescent sleep health in Africa in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian languages were to be included. We conducted a scoping review by searching five databases: MEDLINE (via PubMed), CINAHL (via EBSCOHost), PsycINFO (via EBSCOHost), Scopus, and the African Journal Online (AJOL), from the inception of the databases to January 2025. As previously highlighted in our published protocol, we used the JBI methodology for the scoping review. After screening 921 titles and abstracts and 78 full-text articles, we included 43 articles. There has been an increasing number of studies on adolescent sleep in Africa in the past 25 years. Cross-sectional studies were the most frequent design (67.4%). Most studies focused on sleep quantity and quality, with small sample sizes and scanty evidence on other aspects of sleep health. Inadequate weekday sleep duration was common among adolescents, often compensated by longer weekend sleep durations. Screen use at bedtime, sleeping environment, school schedules, and chronic medical conditions were the major risk factors for sleep disturbances. Poor sleep was associated with poor academic performance, depression, anxiety, and adverse cardiometabolic risk. This review shows a lack of studies on the multidimensional aspects of sleep health and the need for more objective sleep measures to better characterise the sleep health of adolescents in Africa. Larger studies with longitudinal and mixed-method designs are needed to drive the planning and execution of interventions to improve sleep health among African adolescents.
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BibTeX
@article{olorunmoteni2026patterns,
title = {{Patterns, determinants and associated outcomes with adolescent sleep health in Africa: A scoping review}},
author = {Oluwatosin Eunice Olorunmoteni and Biliamin O. Popoola and Jeremiah Oluwatomi I. Daniel and Phelokazi Dlepu and Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé and Omobolanle V. Olubowale and Adesegun O. Fatusi and Karine Scheuermaier},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0353671},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0353671},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Patterns, determinants and associated outcomes with adolescent sleep health in Africa: A scoping review
AU - Oluwatosin Eunice Olorunmoteni
AU - Biliamin O. Popoola
AU - Jeremiah Oluwatomi I. Daniel
AU - Phelokazi Dlepu
AU - Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé
AU - Omobolanle V. Olubowale
AU - Adesegun O. Fatusi
AU - Karine Scheuermaier
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0353671
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0353671
AB - Sleep health in adolescence is a global public health concern. However, limited studies on adolescent sleep health in Africa exist, and the extent of the available literature on the African continent has not been previously mapped. This review aimed to map the studies on adolescent sleep health in Africa with a focus on the geographical distribution, publication trends, pattern of sleep health measures, prevalence of sleep disorders, the barriers and facilitators to good sleep health, rural-urban disparities, as well as the associations of sleep health with mental health, school schedule and cardio-metabolic risk among the adolescents. All published articles on adolescent sleep health in Africa in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian languages were to be included. We conducted a scoping review by searching five databases: MEDLINE (via PubMed), CINAHL (via EBSCOHost), PsycINFO (via EBSCOHost), Scopus, and the African Journal Online (AJOL), from the inception of the databases to January 2025. As previously highlighted in our published protocol, we used the JBI methodology for the scoping review. After screening 921 titles and abstracts and 78 full-text articles, we included 43 articles. There has been an increasing number of studies on adolescent sleep in Africa in the past 25 years. Cross-sectional studies were the most frequent design (67.4%). Most studies focused on sleep quantity and quality, with small sample sizes and scanty evidence on other aspects of sleep health. Inadequate weekday sleep duration was common among adolescents, often compensated by longer weekend sleep durations. Screen use at bedtime, sleeping environment, school schedules, and chronic medical conditions were the major risk factors for sleep disturbances. Poor sleep was associated with poor academic performance, depression, anxiety, and adverse cardiometabolic risk. This review shows a lack of studies on the multidimensional aspects of sleep health and the need for more objective sleep measures to better characterise the sleep health of adolescents in Africa. Larger studies with longitudinal and mixed-method designs are needed to drive the planning and execution of interventions to improve sleep health among African adolescents.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -