@article {1189, title = {Sleep disturbances, quality of life, and ethnicity: the Sleep Heart Health Study.}, journal = {J Clin Sleep Med}, volume = {6}, year = {2010}, month = {2010 Apr 15}, pages = {176-83}, abstract = {

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To compare health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) across subgroups defined by sleep disturbances and ethnicity.

METHODS: Men (47\%) and women (53\%) Sleep Heart Health Study participants age 40 and older (N = 5237) underwent overnight polysomnography and completed self-report questionnaires on symptoms of sleep disturbances. The physical and mental composite scales (PCS and MCS) of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short form survey assessed HR-QOL and were compared to sleep data.

RESULTS: Participants self-identified as Caucasian/White (n = 4482, 86\%), African American/Black (n = 490, 9\%), or Hispanic/Mexican American (n = 265, 5\%). The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was 17\%, frequent snoring was 34\%, difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep (DIMS; insomnia symptoms) was 30\%, and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) was 25\%. African American participants with frequent snoring, insomnia symptoms, or EDS had significantly poorer physical health compared to Caucasians (p < 0.001). Hispanics with frequent snoring, insomnia symptoms, or EDS had significantly poorer mental health than Caucasian participants (p <0.001). Neither PCS nor MCS scores differed significantly across ethnic subgroups for participants with moderate to severe OSA (respiratory disturbance index > 15, 4\% desaturation).

CONCLUSIONS: Across ethnic/racial subgroups, sleep disturbances are associated with worse physical and better mental HR-QOL than the U.S. norm, but this relationship may be moderated by comorbid health conditions. This study replicates and extends prior research indicating differences among minority and non-minority participants and highlights the need for future studies of sleep disturbances with larger samples of minorities that control for comorbid health conditions.

}, keywords = {African Americans, Cohort Studies, Ethnic Groups, European Continental Ancestry Group, Female, Health Status, Heart Diseases, Hispanic Americans, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Polysomnography, Prevalence, Quality of Life, Sleep Apnea, Obstructive, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Sleep Wake Disorders, Snoring, Surveys and Questionnaires, United States}, issn = {1550-9389}, author = {Baldwin, Carol M and Ervin, Ann-Margret and Mays, Mary Z and Robbins, John and Shafazand, Shirin and Walsleben, Joyce and Weaver, Terri} }