Sociodemographic and behavioral correlates of insufficient sleep in Australian adults

Insufficient sleep is being increasingly recognized as a public health issue. There is a need to identify correlates of insufficient sleep to guide future preventative health interventions. This study aims to determine the sociodemographic and behavioral correlates of frequent perceived insufficient sleep in the Australian population.

Pooled analyses of two cross-sectional, self-report national telephone surveys were conducted in 2015 (July-August) and 2016 (June-August).

Adults living in Australia.

Data from participants (age 18 years and over) of both surveys were pooled for analysis (2015 n = 1041; 2016 n = 1170), with 2211 participants being included in the current study.

Participants self-reported their age, gender, education and employment level, language spoken at home, urbanization, chronic disease, and height and weight to calculate BMI. Self-reported physical activity, sitting time, smoking, and consumption of fruit, vegetables, fast food, alcohol and frequency of perceived insufficient sleep were also assessed. Binary logistic regression analysis examined the relationship between insufficient sleep (≥14 days out of 30), sociodemographic and behavioral variables.

The overall prevalence of insufficient sleep was 24%. Female gender, obesity, >8 h/d sitting time, smoking, and frequent consumption of fast food were positively associated with frequent insufficient sleep (P < .05). Higher levels of physical activity and being aged 51 years or older were negatively associated with frequent insufficient sleep (P < .05).

The sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics associated with frequent perceived insufficient sleep can be used to guide the development of future interventions to reduce sleep insufficiency.