Abstract
ObjectiveSleep plays an important role in the health and well-being of middle aged and elderly people, and social capital may be one of the important factors for sleep disorders. This study aimed to understand the relationship between social capital and sleep disorders in a unique region of China –Tibet that generally has the disadvantaged economic status compared to other parts of China.MethodsThe study was based on Tibetan data from The China Multi-Ethnic Cohort (CMEC) and was conducted from May 2018 to September 2019. A total of 3194 Tibetans aged > 50 were selected from the community population by multi-stage stratified cluster sampling. Social capital was measured using two validated health-related social capital scales, family/community and society.. Sleep disorders were measured as the presence of disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep, early morning awakening, or daytime dysfunction. Logistic regression models were applied to examine the association between social capital and sleep disorders.Results39.9% (1271/3194) of the participants had sleep disorders. In addition, after controlling for all potential variables, family social capital was significantly negatively associated with sleep disorders (OR = 0.95, P < 0.05), while community and society social capital was not associated with sleep disorders. Then, when we did all the sex-stratified analyses, the significant association between social capital and sleep disorders was found only in women (OR = 0.94, P < 0.05), while no association was found in males; neither males nor females showed any association with community and society social capital.ConclusionOur study would help to better understand the extent of health inequality in China, and guide future interventions, strategies and policies to promote sleep quality in low-income areas, taking into account both the role of Tibetan specific cultural traditions, lifestyles and religious beliefs in social capital and the gender differences in social capital.
Highlights
Sleep disorders refer to conditions that affect sleep quality, timing, or duration and impact one’s ability to properly function while awake, such as insomnia, insufficient sleep (≤6 h/day), and excessive sleep (≥9 h/day) [1]
According to the different scope and environment involved in the relationship network, it can be divided into family social capital and community and society social capital, which represent the resources obtained by individuals in the family or community and society, respectively [18]
The burden of diseases in those regions is usually heavier than the one in better-off regions, so sleep disorders could double the health burden in the vulnerable regions. To fill this critical gap, this study aimed to study the association between social capital and sleep disorders in a unique region of China – Tibet, which generally has the disadvantaged economic status compared to other parts of China
Summary
Sleep disorders refer to conditions that affect sleep quality, timing, or duration and impact one’s ability to properly function while awake, such as insomnia, insufficient sleep (≤6 h/day), and excessive sleep (≥9 h/day) [1]. Social capital, embedded in the social fabric as an important social factor, is the network of social relations basing on social norms of trust and reciprocity that mobilize actors and coordinates and maintains their “field of presence” [17], which reflects the nature and quality of social connections among individuals in the community or social network [1]. Social capital may be one of the important factors for sleep disorders as the special role played by social capital in emotional perception and psychological state [19]. Poor social capital means that individuals cannot trust others to develop communication and cannot obtain enough resources to improve their life [20]. Most of the previous studies have been conducted in developed regions [22,23,24,25], and the association between social capital and sleep disorders may vary by context [26]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
