0834 DIFFERENCES IN SHORT AND LONG SLEEP DURATION BY MARITAL STATUS AMONG BLACK AND WHITE MEN AND WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

Research findings suggest that marriage is associated with better sleep. Few studies have investigated racial/ethnic differences in the sleep-marital status relationship. Using nationally representative 2013 and 2014 cross-sectional data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey, we investigated race and sex differences in self-reported sleep duration by marital status. Direct age-standardization was used to estimate the prevalence of short (<7 hours) and long (≥9 hours) sleep duration by marital status among US-born Black and White men and women ≥25 years old. Accounting for socioeconomic status, health status, sadness and other potential confounders, Poisson regression with robust variance was used to directly estimate prevalence ratios for short and long sleep among Black men and women compared to their White counterparts within marital status groups. Among 44,445 adults (mean age: 48.3 ± 0.16 years), 15% were Black and 52% were female. Fifty-two percent of participants were married, 7% living with a partner, 19% separated/widowed/divorced, and 22% never married. Compared to their White counterparts, married Black men ((41.5% [95% CI: 38.1–44.9%]) vs. (29.8% [95% CI: 28.7–31.0%])) and women ((41.6% [95% CI: 37.6–45.5%]) vs. (27.0% [95% CI: 25.7–28.3%])) had a higher short sleep prevalence; never-married participants had a similar pattern. In fully-adjusted models, short sleep was 38% (Prevalence Ratio (PR): 1.38 [95% CI: 1.25–1.52]) more prevalent among married Black men and 46% (PR: 1.46 [95% CI: 1.27–1.67]) among those never married. There were no significant racial differences among those living with their partner or those separated/widowed/divorced. Short sleep was 56% (PR: 1.56 [95% CI: 1.41–1.73]) more prevalent among married Black women, 16% (PR: 1.16 [95% CI: 1.06–1.26]) among those separated/widowed/divorced, 38% (PR: 1.38 [95% CI: 1.07–1.78]) living with partner, and 46% (PR: 1.46 [95% CI: 1.36–1.72]) never married. Long sleep duration was significantly lower among never married Black men and women and married Black men; otherwise, there were no significant race-sex group differences. Racial and sex differences in short sleep duration exist by marital status. Future research needs to identify the structural and interpersonal processes that contribute to these differences in the sleep-marital status relationship. N/A