Background  Civil aviation pilots are actual operators of civil aircraft. Their job operations are directly associated with passenger safety and flight safety. Unsafe aviation operations are related to fatigue caused by poor sleep quality. Recently, with the promotion of China's air transportation business, irregular working hours of civil aviation pilots rise gradually. However, there is still a lack of relevant research on the influence of working conditions on sleep quality in this group.

Objective  To explore potential impact factors of sleep quality among civil aviation pilots, for the purposes of improving sleep quality and health level of this group and ensuring aviation flight safety by formulating health management suggestions in a targeted manner.

Methods  All pilots of an aviation company were approached when they visited the Shanghai Hospital of Civil Aviation Administration of China for their health examinations. After informed consent, an online questionnaire survey was conducted. Self-made questionnaires were used to collect information on general conditions, lifestyle, and subjective work stress levels. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep quality. A total of 1204 valid questionnaires were recovered. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0 software.

Results  There were 410 pilots (16.8%) who reported sleep disorders, including insufficient sleep time, difficulty falling asleep, and poor sleep quality, and 894 pilots (74.3%) who reported moderate to severe work stress. Associations were identified between sleep quality of pilots and work stress or lifestyle indicators (P<0.05), while work stress showed the strongest association (r=0.28). Further multiple-factor analysis results showed that severe work stress (OR=4.25, 95%CI: 2.89, 6.30) and alcohol use (OR=1.72, 95%CI: 1.31, 2.27) associated with an increased risk of sleep disorders. Regular breakfast (OR=0.62, 95%CI: 0.42, 0.91) and physical exercise (OR=0.68, 95%CI: 0.45, 1.03) associated with a lower risk of sleep disorders.

Conclusion  A certain degree of sleep disturbance is reported in the civil aviation pilot group, which is closely related to work stress and lifestyle indicators. Targeted measures must be taken to effectively improve the quality of their sleep.