Exterior housing conditions are associated with objective measures of poor sleep among low-income older adults with disabilities

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine the association of housing and neighborhood conditions with sleep among disadvantaged older adults. MethodsWe used data from 136 low-income, predominantly Black older adults with disabilities. Predictors were indices of: interior housing conditions (eg, pests, tripping hazards); exterior housing conditions (eg, broken windows); and neighborhood disorder (eg, litter, vacant buildings). Outcomes were actigraphic total sleep time (TST), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and sleep efficiency (SE). ResultsIn models adjusted for age, sex, education, living arrangement, comorbidities, and physical performance, each additional exterior housing problem was associated with 20.9-minutes less TST (95% confidence interval [CI]: −39.2, −2.6), 8.6-minutes more WASO (95% CI: 0.7, 16.5), and 2.3% lower SE (95% CI: −4.2, −0.4). The associations of interior housing conditions and neighborhood disorder with the sleep parameters were of smaller magnitude and not statistically significant. ConclusionsFuture studies should examine the effects of housing repair on sleep health.