Prevalence of Migraine and its contributing factors among university students at the UWI-St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

• Author Details:   
• Virginia Mary Victor ^*
• Shantelle Best
• Khadijah Ramnath
• Faria Esat
• Naomi Lochan
• Shania Ramsawak
• Renelle Rennie
• Leomelvin Vijayakumar
• Esther Daniel
• Pradeep Sahu

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Background: Migraine, a disabling neurovascular condition, poses a substantial but underrecognized burden on university students, especially in the Caribbean—due to lifestyle, sociocultural, and environmental stressors.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of migraines and explore associations with sleep quality, migraine-triggering food (MTF) intake, and stress levels among university students in Trinidad.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted among 283 third-year university students using stratified random sampling. Data were collected via a self-administered online survey including four validated instruments: the ID Migraine™ Test, MTF Intake Checklist, Sleep Quality Scale, and Perceived Stress Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and chi-square tests were used for analysis.

Results: Migraine prevalence was 59.4%, with 62.5% of migraine-positive participants reporting severe symptoms. Significant correlations were found between migraine severity and MTF intake (r = 0.305, p < 0.01), and poor sleep quality (r = –0.202, p < 0.05). Stress did not show a direct association with migraine severity but correlated with both food intake and sleep quality. Sociodemographic factors (age, ethnicity, family history) were significantly associated with migraine and contributing behaviors.

Conclusions: Migraine burden among students is strongly linked to modifiable lifestyle and environmental factors. Targeted health education and institutional support are recommended, including interventions on dietary habits, sleep hygiene, stress regulation, and climate-related health literacy. These findings reinforce the importance of integrated strategies aligned with SDG 3 (Health and Well-being) and SDG 7 (Clean Energy and Climate Education) to address student health in warming climates. Although the findings are not generalizable due to the study’s design and scope, they serve as a critical eye-opener for future researchers to build upon using stronger methodological frameworks.