Faculty Bibliography

Introduction: Short-term and long-term consequences of insufficient sleep among young adults are well documented in the United States. Insufficient sleep is associated with physical and mental health problems, substance use, injury, loss of productivity and early mortality. However, unlike the U.S., very little has been done to assess effects of insufficient sleep on these outcomes among Caribbean volunteers. This study explored the prevalence and determinants of insufficient sleep in three Caribbean countries. Methods: A total of 1,578 university participants (ages 18-30 years; female = 63.1%) from Jamaica, Barbados, and Grenada provided valid data for the current analysis. In addition to sociodemographic characteristics, participants completed self-reported health-related measures (BMI, health knowledge and physical activity). They also provided psychosocial (PTSD, substance use, social support, LOC and depression) and sleep data. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted using SAS 9.4. Results: Insufficient sleep (< 7hrs) was reported by 49.10% across the three countries. Barbados reported the highest rate (51.43%), compared with Jamaica (48.78%) and Grenada (45.58%). Analyses showed that males reported a higher rate of insufficient sleep (52.78% vs 47.02%, p < 0.05); 2) t-test revealed a difference in age; the average age of participants who reported insufficient sleep was 21.32 (mean diff = .28, p < .05). Regression for health habits showed exercise was significant; compared to people who report moderate levels of exercise, people with low levels of exercise were less likely to report insufficient sleep (OR = 0.77 95%CI: 0.57-1.04, p < 0.05). Regression for psychosocial factors revealed that PTSD was significant; people with PTSD symptoms are more likely to report < 7 (OR = 1.57, 95%CI: 1.20-2.06, p < .001) Conclusion: A higher rate of insufficient sleep was found in this Caribbean sample than that observed among US samples. This elevated rate has important public health implications with regard to sleep-associated adverse health outcomes and socioeconomic burden

Introduction: Sleep is an important domain of health. Most data come from US or European samples. This study explored sleep in a university student population in Jamaica Methods: As part of an ongoing study, N = 361 students were administered the Sleep Practices and Attitudes Question nai re. Sleep duration was assessed separately for typical workday/weekday sleep and weekend/vacation time over the past week, combined with a 5/2 weighted average for weekday/weekend sleep, and dichotomized at < 7 (74% of sample) and > 7 hours. To broadly evaluate differences between men and women t-tests for continuous variables and chi-square tests for categorical variables were evaluated. Results: Short sleepers were younger (p = 0.045), had worse sleep quality (p < 0.0001), reported greater sleep debt (p < 0.0001) despite less sleep need (p < 0.0001). Short sleepers were less likely to wake up refreshed (p = 0.002). If they had difficulty sleeping, they were more likely to report just getting up and starting their day (p = 0.007). If they were having trouble sleeping over a period of time, they were less likely to try to make more time for sleep (p = 0.014). Short sleepers were more likely to argue in bed (p-0.035). Short sleepers were less likely to report that medical conditions affect their sleep (p = 0.014), that they make enough time for sleep (p = 0.007), that it is important to keep a healthy bedtime (p = 0.001), and that sleep was important for health (p = 0.027). Short sleepers were more likely to report that lying in bed with eyes closed was as good as sleep (p = 0.039) and that turning up the volume while driving was an effective countermeasure to sleepiness (p = 0.035). Conclusion: Overall, short sleepers reported worse quality sleep and greater sleep debt despite reduced sleep need. They also reported more unhealthy sleep-related beliefs and practices

Introduction: Sleep apnea is an impor tant medical condition, which is associated with adverse health outcomes and socioeconomic costs. As novel approaches to promoting awareness about sleep apnea symptoms and treatment emerge, there is a compelling need to develop a valid tool to assess sleep apnea health literacy in at-risk populations. The goal of this study was to develop a scale to assess sleep apnea literacy at the population level. Methods: Using a multi-phase design, we developed a scale for measuring sleep apnea health literacy. This included 1) devising a list of relevant sleep apnea-related questions in consultation with several established sleep investigators, 2) collecting preliminary data, 3) exploring natural component str uct ure, 4) selecting items compr ising the final scale using standardized procedures, 5) collecting additional data, and 6) generating construct validity of the scale. The final scale was approved by an independent expert in sleep medicine and an expert in scale design. Results: Data were collected using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to gather data from 91 participants (mean age = 38yrs; 48% were White and 27%, African American). Analyses were conducted using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (SPSS version 20). The scale includes 26 items across three sub-domains, including sleep apnea health literacy (component alpha = 0.74), sleep apnea self-efficacy (component alpha = 0.76), and sleep apnea clinical management (component alpha = 0.65). Analysis showed that the concurrent scale validity was = 0.85. Conclusion: This is the first scale to feature characteristics that assess sleep apnea health literacy at the population level. This scale can be useful in designing and evaluating sleep apnea health education programs. It will also enable adequate tailoring of future interventions to ascertain specific areas of knowledge about sleep apnea

Introduction: General health consequences of co-occurring obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and insomnia have been well documented. However, little is known about the emotional/psychological consequences of comorbid OSA and insomnia symptoms. The current study investigated emotional/psychological and physical health of blacks with co-morbid OSA and insomnia symptoms and explored whether insufficient sleep duration influences this relationship. Methods: Data collected from individuals belonging to faith-based organizations participating in the Peer Enhanced Education to Reduce Sleep Ethnic Disparities Study, a NIMHD-funded clinical trial looking at effectiveness of peer-delivered sleep health education in minority communities. A sample of 201 individuals (mean age = 47.83 years; female = 70.15%) were screened for high OSA risk (score > 6) using the ARES Questionnaire. A Sleep Disorders Questionnaire was used to assess insufficient sleep duration (< 7 hours) and prevalence of insomnia based on the three common symptoms: trouble falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep and waking up early in the morning. Physical composite score (SF-12PCS) and mental composite score (SF-12MCS) were determined using the Short Form 12 Health Survey. Results: 70.56% of the participants reported insufficient sleep; of those, 36.69% were at high OSA risk and endorsed insomnia symptoms. Bivariate logistic regression indicated significant association between mental health and likelihood of reporting OSA and insomnia (OR = 0.92, 95% Cl = 0.87-0.97, p < 0.01). Bivariate logistic regression analysis revealed no significant association of comorbid OSA risk and insomnia symptoms with physical health. Backward stepwise regression models adjusted for effects of BMI, age, sex, and sleep duration. People who reported both OSA and Insomnia were less likely to report sufficient sleep (> 7 hours) (OR = 0.35, 95% Cl = 0.14-0.85, p = 0.02) and higher mental health scores (OR = 0.93, 95% Cl = 0.88-0.99, p = 0.02). Conclusion: Results demonstrate that individuals with comorbid OSA and insomnia are more likely to endorse lower mental health. Presence of insomnia symptoms and OSA risk were not related to physical health as herein defined

Introduction: Previous studies have indicated that race/ethnicity predicts insufficient sleep duration and that blacks bear a greater associated burden than individuals of other racial/ethnic group. We hypothesized that this disparity is likely due to greater poverty levels rather than race/ethnicity itself. Methods: Data for the present analysis came from the National Health Interview Survey [2004-2013], (N = 911,773). The survey applies a multi-stage sample survey of the resident civilian non-institutionalized US population. Respondents provided sociodemographic and physician-diagnosed chronic conditions. Self-reported sleep data was used to determine insufficient sleep status (< 6 hours/night) as well as poverty status. Poisson regression and logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the NHIS data. Results: A nalysis showe d that 54.7% of the sample were female; 77.8% were white and 15.6% black, (mean age = 46.68 +/- 17.38) years. Blacks consistently had a significantly higher prevalence of insufficient sleep compared to whites for all years included in the analysis (36.35% (p < .001) versus 27.4% (p < .001). Prevalence estimates of insufficient sleepers living below the poverty level was consistently higher than those living above poverty line (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.25-1.32) (p < .001). After adjusting for race/ethnicity, poverty index was found to be a more significant indicator of likelihood of reporting for insufficient sleep than was race/ethnicity. Conclusion: Results support our hypothesis that poverty level was a stronger indicator of insufficient sleep than was race/ethnicity. Our findings confirm the importance for advocating for mitigation of the negative aspects of poverty such as poor housing and neighborhood quality and food deserts, all of which affecting sleep health, quality of life and eventually chronic disease risks

Introduction: Associations between place of birth and various health outcomes have been explored in recent studies. While sleep disturbance has been related to a number of negative health outcomes, few studies have examined the relationship between place of birth and sleep duration among individuals living in the United States. Methods: We examined data for 416,152 adult participants in the 2000-2013 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), who provided self-reported hours of sleep and place of birth. NHIS data emanated from face-to-face interviews with trained interviewers from the U.S. Census Bureau. We explored associations between healthy sleep (7-8hrs.), referenced to unhealthy sleep (8 hrs.), and place of birth among US adults using multivariate logistic regression analysis, adjusting for effects of socio-demographic factors, health risks, and physician-diagnosed medical conditions. We used SPSS 20.0 to conduct descriptive and inferential analyses. Results: The mean age of the sample was 47.4 +/- 0.03 years; 56% were female. Of the respondents, 61.5% reported experiencing healthy sleep, 81.5% reported being born in the United States and 18.5% were foreign-born adults. Descriptive statistics revealed that Indian Subcontinent-bor n respondents (71.7%) were more likely to report healthy sleep compared to US-born respondents (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.37-1.71, p < 0.001), whereas African-born respondents (43.5%) were least likely to report healthy sleep (OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.70-0.87, p < 0.001). Conclusion: These findings suggest that place of birth should be considered in the assessment of risk factors for unhealthy sleep. They add to the literature on sleep duration among racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. This is useful when attempting to elucidate differences in sleep based on race/ethnicity and immigrant status

Introduction: Although obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known to occur more frequently among patients with metabolic syndrome (MS), the functional relationship between OSA and MS remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to traverse the genetic-association between OSA and MS using A systems biology approach. Methods: Candidate genes for OSA and MS were extracted from Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http- 3A__ctdbase.org_help_goDisease&d=CwIBAg&c=j5oPpO0eBH1iio48DtsedbOBGmuw5jHLjgvtN2r4ehE&r =KRXeNoRy5_8lkSwAJG5vjS1yT0aFSItfe494dmkdSVs&m=m3yKLpCYD6gzdb_fMnv9VyavoXGgk7duRWkr5 hBqb7Q&s=H-qi2fTXsbHCwk-LkFNxgIHjRhCo1YrIWyRu87IlMYs&e= ). Overlapping genes associated with OSA and MS were then assembled by Functional Enrichment analysis tool (FunRich), and their biological functions were identified using the Gene Ontology (GO) approach with the Protein ANalysis THrough Evolutionary Relationships (PANTHER) tool. GO uses structured controlled vocabularies (ontologies) to describe key characteristics of a gene product, including: (1) molecular function/activity, (2) biological processes it is involved in, and (3) cellular components where it is located. Results: Of the genes associated OSA (6,586) and MS (15,228), 5,322 (81%) OSA genes) overlapped between the conditions. GO analyses revealed that these genes were often associated with metabolic diseases (25.3%), inflammation/oxidative stress (13.6%), neurotransmitter regulation (12.8%), behavior/cognitive function (8.9%), and neurodegenerative diseases (4.8%). The remaining 34.7% were associated with other biological functions (i.e., cellular processes, homeostasis and reproduction, etc.). Conclusion: The vast majority of OSA-related genes were also associated with MS, supporting the practice of screening for OSA among individuals with MS. Future lifestyle intervention programs for chronic care management should also focus on sleep as an interventional component to attain maximum benefits

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Psychological conditions are increasingly linked with cardiovascular disorders. We aimed to examine the association between psychological distress and hypertension. METHODS: We used data from the National Health Interview Survey for 2004-2013. Hypertension was self-reported and the 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale was used to assess psychological distress (a score >/=13 indicated distress). We used a logistic regression model to test the assumption that hypertension was associated with psychological distress. RESULTS: Among the study participants completing the survey (n = 288,784), 51% were female; the overall mean age (+/-SEM) was 35.3 +/- 0.02 years and the mean body mass index was 27.5 +/- 0.01. In the entire sample, the prevalence of psychological distress was 3.2%. The adjusted odds of reporting hypertension in psychologically distressed individuals was 1.53 (95% CI = 1.31-1.80, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that psychological distress is associated with higher odds of hypertension after adjusting for other risk factors for high blood pressure. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to elucidate the mechanisms by which stress increases hypertension risk.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome poses an increased global burden of disease and causes immense financial burden, warranting heightened public health attention. The present study assessed the prevalence and severity of cardiometabolic risk among foreign-born versus US-born blacks, while exploring potential gender-based effects. METHODS: A total of 1035 patients from the Metabolic Syndrome Outcome Study (Trial registration: NCT01946659) provided sociodemographic, medical history, and clinical data. General Linear Model (GLM) was used to assess the effects of birthplace and gender on cardiometabolic parameters, adjusting for age differences in the sample. RESULTS: Of the sample, 61.6 % were foreign-born blacks (FBB) and 38.4 % were US-born blacks (USB). FBB had significantly lower BMI compared with USB (32.76 +/- 0.35 vs. 35.41 +/- 0.44, F = 22.57), but had significantly higher systolic blood pressure (136.70 +/- 0.77 vs. 132.83 +/- 0.98; F = 9.60) and fasting glucose levels than did USB (146.46 +/- 3.37 vs. 135.02 +/- 4.27; F = 4.40). Men had higher diastolic BP (76.67 +/- 0.65 vs. 75.05 +/- 0.45; F = 4.20), glucose (146.53 +/- 4.48 vs. 134.95 +/- 3.07; F = 4.55) and triglyceride levels (148.10 +/- 4.51 vs. 130.60 +/- 3.09; F = 10.25) compared with women, but women had higher LDL-cholesterol (109.24 +/- 1.49 vs. 98.49 +/- 2.18; F = 16.60) and HDL-cholesterol levels (50.71 +/- 0.66 vs. 42.77 +/- 0.97; F = 46.01) than did men. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that birthplace has a significant influence on cardiometabolic profiles of blacks with metabolic syndrome. Patients' gender also had an independent influence on cardiometabolic profile.

OBJECTIVE: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a leading sleep disorder that is disproportionately more prevalent in minority populations and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. OSA is associated with many chronic conditions including hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, all of which are disproportionately more prevalent among blacks (ie, peoples of African American, Caribbean, or African descent). METHODS: This article reviews studies conducted in the United States (US) that investigated sleep screenings and adherence to treatment for OSA among blacks. In addition, guidelines are provided for implementing a practical framework to increase OSA screening and management among blacks. RESULTS: Several studies have documented racial/ethnic disparities in adherence to treatment for OSA. However, despite its public health significance, there is a paucity of studies addressing these disparities. Further, there is a lack of health programs and policies to increase screening and treatment of OSA among blacks and other minority populations. A practical framework to increase the number of blacks who are screened for OSA and treated appropriately is warranted. Such a framework is timely and major importance, as early identification of OSA in this high-risk population could potentially lead to early treatment and prevention of CVD, thereby reducing racial and ethnic disparities in sleep-related CVD morbidity and mortality.