Self-Reported Sleep in Older African Americans and White Americans

Abstract

<p class="Pa7"><strong>Objective: </strong>Assess the relationship of self-reported sleep quality and possible sleep disorders with disability in a racially diverse sample of community-dwelling older adults.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Methods: </strong>Participants included 943 non-demented older African Americans (n=452) and Whites (n=491) from two cohort studies, the Minority Aging Research Study (MARS) and the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP). Participants completed a 32-item questionnaire assessing sleep quality and the possible presence of three sleep disorders (sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome [RLS] and REM behavior disorder [RBD]). Disability was assessed with scales that quantified the ability to perform instru­mental activities of daily living (IADL), basic activities of daily living (ADL), and physical mobility activities.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Results: </strong>More than half of the participants reported impaired sleep quality (51%), or the possible presence of at least one sleep disorder (57%; sleep apnea 44%, RLS 25% and RBD 7%). Sleep quality was rated poorer in African Americans, those with advancing age and fewer years of educa­tion (all P&lt;.05). Only sleep apnea risk was associated with age (P&lt;.02). In logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, years of education, and race, both sleep quality and disorders were associated with disability (sleep quality with mobility disabil­ity (P&lt;.001), sleep apnea risk with mobility disability and IADL disability (all P&lt;.001) and RLS symptoms with mobility disability (P&lt;.01).</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Results indicate that self-assessed impaired sleep is common in old age and is associated with disability. <em></em></p><p class="Pa7"><em>Ethn Dis.</em>2016;26(4):521-528; doi:10.18865/ ed.26.4.521</p><strong></strong>