Disparities in sleep health are important but under-recognized contributors to health disparities. Understanding the factors contributing to sleep heath disparities and developing effective interventions are critical to improving all aspects of heath. Sleep heath disparities are impacted by socio-economic status, racism, discrimination, neighborhood segregation, geography, social patterns and access to healthcare as well as by cultural beliefs necessitating a cultural appropriateness component in any intervention devised for reducing sleep health disparities. Pediatric sleep disparities require innovative and urgent intervention to establish a foundation of lifelong healthy sleep. Tapping the vast potential of technology in improving sleep health access may be an underutilized tool to reduce sleep heath disparities. Identifying, implementing, replicating and disseminating successful interventions to address sleep disparities have the potential to reduce overall disparities in health and quality of life.

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Study Objectives: Evaluate consequences of intermediate to high risk of undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Using data from the Long Term Oxygen Treatment Trial (LOTT), we assessed OSA risk at study entry among patients with COPD. We compared outcomes among those at intermediate to high risk (modified STOP-BANG score ≥ 3) relative to low risk (score < 3) for OSA. We compared risk of mortality or first hospitalization with proportional hazard models, and incidence of COPD exacerbations using negative binomial regression. We adjusted analyses for demographics, body mass index, and comorbidities. Last, we compared St. George Respiratory Questionnaire and Quality of Well-Being Scale results between OSA risk groups. Results: Of the 222 participants studied, 164 (74%) were at intermediate to high risk for OSA based on the modified STOP-BANG score. Relative to the 58 low-risk individuals, the adjusted hazard ratio of mortality or first hospitalization was 1.61 (95% confidence interval 1.01-2.58) for those at intermediate to high risk of OSA. Risk for OSA was also associated with increased frequency of COPD exacerbations (adjusted incidence rate ratio: 1.78, 95% confidence interval 1.10-2.89). Respiratory symptoms by St. George Respiratory Questionnaire were 5.5 points greater (P = .05), and Quality of Well-Being Scale scores were .05 points lower (P < .01) among those at intermediate to high risk for OSA, indicating more severe respiratory symptoms and lower quality of life. Conclusions: Among individuals with COPD, greater risk for undiagnosed OSA is associated with poor outcomes. Increased recognition and management of OSA in this group could improve outcomes.