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BACKGROUND: It is estimated that sleep related disorders such as inadequate sleep affect 50-70 million Americans. Research suggests that inadequate sleep is associated with a wide range of adverse health conditions and health risk behaviors. The Kansas BRFSS has included the Inadequate Sleep Module on its annual survey since 2009 to collect information on sleep-related behaviors among Kansas adults. This study provides current status of inadequate sleep and its association with selected health indicators among Kansas adults.
METHODS: Data from the 2012 Kansas BRFSS were analyzed to assess 1) prevalence of insufficient sleep overall and among various population subgroups, and 2) prevalence of unhealthy sleep behaviors, including unintentionally falling asleep during the day at least once in the past month and nodding off or falling asleep while driving in the past month. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to calculate the odds of selected health indicators for adults with insufficient sleep compared to those without insufficient sleep, adjusting for age, gender, race, ethnicity, and education. SAS 9.3 software was used for analyses.
RESULTS: Nearly 1 in 6 (15.3%) Kansas adults reported insufficient sleep on all days during the past 30 days. Higher prevalence of insufficient sleep was observed among younger adults, adults with more than one race, those who were divorced or separated, those with lower annual household income, those with lower education and adults who were unable to work. Prevalence of insufficient sleep on all 30 days was also higher among adults with mental illness, current cigarette smokers, those who did not participate in any physical activity, those living with a disability, and those with chronic health conditions including current asthma, diabetes, and obesity. About one in three adults (33.9%) unintentionally fell asleep during the day at least once in the past month; half (52.6%) snored, and 3.7% nodded off or fell asleep while driving in the past month. Adjusted odds ratios indicated that frequent mental distress, serious mental illness, self-perceived poor or fair health, heart-attack, stroke, and asthma were associated with insufficient sleep.
CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate sleep is a prevalent health issue in Kansas. Disparities were observed among various socio-demographic sub groups and among those with chronic health conditions. Findings indicate the need to address sleep insufficiency and unhealthy sleep behaviors among Kansas adults.