Social and Behavioral Determinants of Perceived Insufficient Sleep

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Sleep Science

Background:

• Insufficient sleep is a growing public health concern linked to cardiometabolic disease and overall poor health.
• Limited research exists on the determinants of insufficient sleep within large, nationally representative adult populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify sociodemographic, socioeconomic, health behavior, and health/functioning factors associated with insufficient sleep in a US adult population.
• To provide a comprehensive overview of insufficient sleep determinants for public health interventions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, including 323,047 US adults.
• Assessed insufficient sleep as self-reported insufficient rest/sleep over the past 30 days.
• Analyzed associations between insufficient sleep and various factors including demographics, socioeconomic status, health behaviors, and health status.

Main Results:

• Insufficient sleep was associated with female sex, White or Black/African-American race/ethnicity, unemployment, lack of health insurance, and not being married.
• Lower age, income, education, physical activity, poorer diet, and worse overall health were also linked to insufficient sleep.
• Increased household size, higher alcohol consumption, and smoking were identified as significant correlates of insufficient sleep.

Conclusions:

• Sociodemographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, and health factors are significant determinants of insufficient sleep in US adults.
• These identified factors should be considered as crucial risk factors for insufficient sleep and targeted in public health strategies.
• Further research should explore causal pathways and effective interventions for insufficient sleep.