Abstract
OBJECTIVESThis study aimed to characterize the prevalence of poor sleep quality and to identify associated factors among community-dwelling elderly individuals in northern Thailand.METHODSA cross-sectional study was conducted among 266 randomly selected elderly people in a sub-district in rural Chiang Rai Province, northern Thailand. The participants were interviewed using the Thai version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).RESULTSRoughly 44.0% of the participants had poor sleep quality (PSQI score, >5), 9.4% used sleep medication, 27.1% had poor family relationships, and 12.0% had mild depression. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that being female (odds ratio [OR], 1.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10 to 3.02), a higher education level (OR, 3.03; 95% CI, 1.34 to 6.86 for primary school; OR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.31 to 5.44 for higher than primary school), mild depression (OR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.11 to 6.36), and poor family relationships (OR, 3.65; 95% CI, 1.98 to 6.75) were significantly associated with poor sleep quality.CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence of poor sleep quality among the elderly was moderately high. Healthcare providers should regularly conduct screenings for sleep quality and depression; provide sleep health education; and conduct interventions to encourage participating in family activities, resolving conflicts, sharing ideas, and making compromises within the family.
Highlights
Poor sleep quality is a common problem in the general population, often due to work-related demands and lifestyle changes [13]
Religious activities were performed by 95.9% of the participants
The results of this study revealed that the prevalence of poor sleep quality among the elderly in the study area was 44.0%
Summary
Poor sleep quality is a common problem in the general population, often due to work-related demands and lifestyle changes [13]. Poor sleep quality can have profound physical effects on the elderly, including fatigability and an increased risk of falls. These effects threaten both mobility and independence [3,4,7]. Poor sleep quality and sleep deprivation are associated with effects on activities of daily living and cognitive impairment in the elderly [12,13]. Both are significantly related with psychological problems, mood changes, and depression [1,7,14,15]. Previous studies have indicated that supportive ties and close relationships among family members are positively related to good sleep quality, while aversive ties predict poor sleep quality [16,17]
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