Background & Aims
Migraine research is critical since so much is still unknown about this agonizing and debilitating condition that affects so many people’s lives. Migraine is known to be triggered by stress, loud auditory stimuli, fatigue, fasting, and menses; to some migraineurs, the triggers are either excessive or insufficient sleep (Peroutka, 2014). It is reported that almost 10–18%
of university students suffer from migraine worldwide (Wang et al., 2016). This high
prevalence of migraine impairs the academic performance of the students and also decrease
the quality of life of the sufferers. This study aims to further ascertain the association between migraine and other psychosocial factors such as sleep and lifestyle amongst university students in Malaysia.
Methods
A self-administered survey link was sent to the random respondents from University students from Klang Valley, Selangor, Malaysia over two months via social media such as Whatsapp, Instagram, etc.
through convenience sampling methods. Invitations will be distributed through Social Media where students will receive an online Respondent’s Information Sheet (RIS) and consent form. Upon receipt of the signed consent form, the link to the questionnaire, which was formatted into Google Form will be filled up. The questionnaire consists of Socio-demographic and lifestyle-related characteristics of the participants such as fast food intake, amount of physical exercise, smoking habits, alcohol intake, substance abuse, and sleep. A questionnaire assessing headache-related data over a 3-month period, including frequency of headache days in the previous month, and the average intensity of the headache attacks, triggering factors, and symptoms was also attached.
Results
A total of 231 university students, with 134 (58%) of them were females participated in this study, giving a response rate of 97%. About half of the participants (n=105, 45.5 %) indicated that they have had 2-3 times headaches in the last 3 months, with about 57% stating experiencing it more than six times in the past one month. Out of this number, 33.4% indicated that the level of intensity of the headache as severe to very severe, and slightly half of them stated that the headache had interfered with their study. The prevalence of migraine among university students is alarmingly high. The prevalence of headaches is also significantly associated with smoking and drinking alcohol.
Conclusions
In conclusion, this study has shed light on the association between the frequency
and intensity of migraines and their impact on psychological distress, sleep quality, and
lifestyles among university students in the Klang Valley. The findings underscore the need
for comprehensive support systems and targeted interventions to address the needs of
affected students and promote their well-being and academic success. By implementing
the recommended strategies and conducting further research, healthcare providers and
university administrations can contribute to mitigating the impact of migraines on students
life.
References
Peroutka, S. J. (2014). What Turns on a Migraine? A Systematic
Review of Migraine Precipitating Factors. In Current Pain and
Headache Reports (Vol. 18, Issue 10).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-014-0454-z
Wang, X., Zhou, H. B., Sun, J. M., Xing, Y. H., Zhu, Y. L., & Zhao, Y. S. (2016).
The
prevalence of migraine in university students: A systematic
review and meta-analysis. In European Journal of Neurology
(Vol. 23, Issue 3). https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.12784