Abstract
Snoring may be an important predictor of sleep-disordered breathing. Factors related to snoring among First Nations people are not well understood in a population with high rates of smoking and excess body weight. An interviewer-administered survey was conducted among 874 individual participants from 406 households in 2012 and 2013 in two Canadian First Nations communities. The survey collected information on demographic variables, individual and contextual determinants of respiratory health and snoring (classified as present versus absent) and self-reported height and weight. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships between snoring and potential risk factors adjusting for age and sex. Snoring was present in 46.2% men and 47.0% women. Considering body mass index, 259 people (30.3%) were overweight and 311 (36.4%) were considered obese. The combined current/former smoking rate was 90.2%. Being overweight, obesity, sinus trouble, current smoking status and former smoking were significantly associated with snoring. Exposure to home dampness and mold were suggestive of an association with snoring. To the degree that snoring may be a predictor of possible sleep-disordered breathing, these results indicate that environmental conditions such as smoking and home exposures may be important factors in the pathogenesis of these conditions.
Highlights
Snoring is a common symptom of potential sleep disordered breathing (SDB) with risk factors including age, body weight and smoking [1,2,3,4]
The results of this study demonstrate that age, body weight and smoking are related to snoring among First Nations people, findings that have previously been shown in primarily Caucasian populations [1,2,3,4]
The striking feature of these results among First Nations people is that these findings occur among populations that are characterized by youthfulness, having high body weight, almost universal present or past smoking, many of whom live in houses characterized by having water and mold damage
Summary
Snoring is a common symptom of potential sleep disordered breathing (SDB) with risk factors including age, body weight and smoking [1,2,3,4]. SDB has been associated with a number of outcomes including sleepiness [5,6], obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) [7,8], heart disease [8,9] possibly mediated by OSA [10], and injury [11]. We explore factors relating to snoring as a possible indicator of SDB in two First Nations communities in Saskatchewan. They comprise a population characterized by youthfulness, high body weight, high smoking rates and exposure to indoor air quality issues. We used the population health framework [16] to assess individual and contextual factors relating to the outcome of snoring in these communities
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