Profile and Correlates of Sleep Quality and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea among Young Persons in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Sleep breathing disorders (SDB), especially obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), are poorly studied in the young population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of OSA and its associated risk factors among young persons. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used, and participants aged 16-35 years were recruited from five tertiary institutions in Ibadan, South Western, Nigeria. The study used a structured questionnaire, stadiometer, weighing scale, tape measure, and digital blood pressure machine to collect data. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ 9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7(GAD-7), and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) were used to assess depression, anxiety, and sleep quality respectively. To assess the risk of OSA, we used both the STOP-Bang questionnaire and the NOSAS score. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23 was used to analyse the data, and statistical significance was set at <0.05. RESULTS: A total of 354 participants were included in this report with a mean age of 21.2±3.5 years. The female: male ratio was 1.9:1. The mean ±standard deviation of PSQI, GAD-7 score and PHQ-9 were 2.2±1.1, 12.4±5.1 and 15.0±5.4 respectively. The following percentages of participants were found to be at low, intermediate, and high risk for OSA: 94.1%, 5.6%, and 0.3%, respectively. This study showed that age and GAD-7 score were independently associated with the PSQI score while age, body mass index, neck cuff size and PHQ-9 score for OSA score. CONCLUSION: There is a burden of OSA among this population of young people; and modifying anthropometric and psychosocial factors can help mitigate the risk of OSA outcomes.