Sleep Patterns among US Latinos by Nativity and Country of Origin: Results from the National Health Interview Survey

Abstract

Background: Sparse data exist to describe national population-level trends in short sleep duration among Latinos. Because short sleep duration is associated with several health conditions that are common in Latinos, such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, understanding sleep trends among this population may be key to reduc­ing their disease burden. This study aimed to document Latino subgroup differences in self-reported sleep duration by nativity and country of origin relative to Whites.Design and Setting: Pooled cross-sectional analysis of self-reported data from the Na­tional Health and Interview Survey (NHIS), 2004-2017.Participants: 303,244 respondents, aged 18 to 84 years, who self-identified as non- Latino US-born White, US-born Mexican, foreign-born Mexican, US-born Puerto Rican, island-born Puerto Rican, US-born Cuban, foreign-born Cuban, US-born Dominican, foreign-born Dominican, US-born Central/South American, foreign-born Central/South American, US-born “other” Latino, and foreign-born “other” Latino.Methods: Multinomial logistic regression models were used to predict sleep duration controlling for demographics, acculturation, socioeconomic, and health-related factors. Results: We found that all Latino subgroups (except US-born Cubans) were more likely to report poor sleep duration relative to non-Latino Whites, net of demographic, acculturation, socioeconomic, and health-related characteristics. However, the magnitude of disadvantage varies by Latino subgroup. We also found that poor sleep duration is concentrated among certain age groups for the various Latino subpopula­tions.Conclusions: Given that Latinos in the United States are at higher risk for obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, understanding the patterns of sleep among this popula­tion can help identify strategies to improve sleep habits in order to reduce disease burden. Ethn Dis. 2020;30(1):119-128;doi:10.18865/ed.30.1.119