Beliefs and Attitudes About Sleep among Community-Dwelling Black Men

Background: The study assessed risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and beliefs and attitudes about sleep among black men in the barbershop.Method: Respondents were black adult male customers (n=247; mean age=38.8±14.8 years) attending several barbershops in Brooklyn, NY. They provided sociodemographic data and estimated habitual sleep time. The Apnea Risk Evaluation System (ARES) was used to identify men at high OSA risk (cut-off: >5). The Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS) was used to quantify strength of endorsed attitudes/beliefs toward sleep. DBAS is a Likert-type scale requiring men to circle a number from 0 (strongly disagree) to 10 (strongly agree); higher average score indicated more dysfunctional attitudes/beliefs about sleep. Results: Of the sample, 64% were overweight/obese (BMI>25); 23% reported hypertension, 11%, diabetes, and 4% heart disease. Estimated rates of sleep-related problems were: nap=33%, Difficulty Initiating Sleep (DIS)=26%, Difficulty Maintaining Sleep (DMS)=22%, and sleep medicine use=5%. Rate of short sleep (<6h) was 51%; 34% were satisfied with their sleep. ARES data showed 27% were at high OSA risk. The mean DBAS score was 4.29±2.06; DBAS values adjusting for effects of age, BMI, HTN, DM, and sleep variables were used in ANCOVA. Men at high OSA risk had greater DBAS scores [F1,129=7.73, p<0.001] and tended to report greater rate of sleep dissatisfaction [46% vs. 13%, X2=24.52, p<0.001]. Conclusion: Black men at high risk for OSA have dysfunctional beliefs about sleep might explain low adherence rates to physician-recommended sleep assessment in that population.