Associated factors of possible consultation behavior for obstructive sleep apnea among male Japanese workers: a...

This study investigated factors associated with possible consultation behavior (PCB) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA; together, PCB-OSA) among male Japanese workers to promote early intervention and treatment. Data from 20,063 male employees were retrospectively analyzed. PCB-OSA was identified by the presence of at least one of the following medical procedure codes in the medical claim records from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019: polysomnography, home sleep apnea test, or percutaneous arterial blood oxygen saturation with an OSA diagnosis. Binomial logistic regression was used to assess factors related to PCB-OSA and the initiation of continuous positive airway pressure treatment in both the overall cohort and the OSA risk groups, defined by our objective measure-based OSA risk scale. Age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.00, 1.02]), hypertension (OR = 1.38, 95% CI [1.10, 1.74]), heart disease (OR = 2.17, 95% CI [1.31, 3.58]), subjective sleepiness (OR = 1.49, 95% CI [1.16, 1.92]), habitual snoring (OR = 1.41, 95% CI [1.12, 1.77]), and witnessed apnea (OR = 2.13, 95% CI [1.63, 2.80]) were significantly and positively associated with PCB-OSA. Meanwhile, blue-collar workers (OR = 0.65, 95% CI [0.51, 0.82]) were significantly and negatively associated with the behavior. In the OSA high-risk group, working 6 or more days per week (OR = 0.62, 95% CI [0.40, 0.96]) was significantly and negatively associated with PCB-OSA. The study population showed a low rate of PCB-OSA. Obesity was not associated with PCB-OSA, and blue-collar workers exhibited a negative association, highlighting the need for disease education in this population.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41105-026-00647-7.