P074 Sleep-Related Predictors of Road and Workplace Safety in Young Adults: Results from a Community Representative Sample

Abstract

Abstract Young adults are at increased risk of road and workplace incidents. Sleep-related predictors of increased risk include short sleep duration, sleep disorders and shift work. It is unknown which predictors are the most impactful, or whether they are interrelated. To address this, sleep-related predictors were concurrently examined in young adults. Participants were young adults (22 years) from the Raine Study, who were employed, assessed for common sleep disorders (obstructive sleep apnoea by polysomnography, insomnia and restless legs syndrome symptoms by validated questionnaires), provided information on shift work status and habitual sleep duration. Two sub-groups were analysed: participants with a driver’s licence and self-reported information on road incidents (n=519) and those with information on workplace incidents, regardless of driver’s license status (n=575). Poisson regression models adjusted for sex and comorbidities were used to examine sleep-related predictors of road and workplace incidents. A total of 15% reported ever falling asleep behind the wheel and 23% reported ever having at least one near-miss road accident due to sleepiness. Diagnosis of a sleep disorder predicted near-miss road accidents (risk ratio, 3.0; 95%CI 1.7–5.3), independent of sleep duration and shift work. A total of 11% reported ever falling asleep on the job and 12% reported ever having an accident at work that required seeing a doctor or nurse, neither of these were associated with sleep duration, sleep disorders or shift work status. Sleep disorder diagnosis may be important in young adults given road incidents are strongly associated with the presence of a sleep disorder.