Sleep Patterns among US Latinos by Nativity and Country of Origin: Results from the National Health Interview Survey

Abstract

Background: Sparse data exist to describe national population-level trends in short sleep duration among Latinos. Because short sleep duration is associated with several health conditions that are common in Latinos, such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, understanding sleep trends among this population may be key to reduc­ing their disease burden. This study aimed to document Latino subgroup differences in self-reported sleep duration by nativity and country of origin relative to Whites.Design and Setting: Pooled cross-sectional analysis of self-reported data from the Na­tional Health and Interview Survey (NHIS), 2004-2017.Participants: 303,244 respondents, aged 18 to 84 years, who self-identified as non- Latino US-born White, US-born Mexican, foreign-born Mexican, US-born Puerto Rican, island-born Puerto Rican, US-born Cuban, foreign-born Cuban, US-born Dominican, foreign-born Dominican, US-born Central/South American, foreign-born Central/South American, US-born “other” Latino, and foreign-born “other” Latino.Methods: Multinomial logistic regression models were used to predict sleep duration controlling for demographics, acculturation, socioeconomic, and health-related factors. Results: We found that all Latino subgroups (except US-born Cubans) were more likely to report poor sleep duration relative to non-Latino Whites, net of demographic, acculturation, socioeconomic, and health-related characteristics. However, the magnitude of disadvantage varies by Latino subgroup. We also found that poor sleep duration is concentrated among certain age groups for the various Latino subpopula­tions.Conclusions: Given that Latinos in the United States are at higher risk for obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, understanding the patterns of sleep among this popula­tion can help identify strategies to improve sleep habits in order to reduce disease burden. Ethn Dis. 2020;30(1):119-128;doi:10.18865/ed.30.1.119

Disparities in multiple sleep characteristics among non-Hispanic White and Hispanic/Latino adults by birthplace and language preference: cross-sectional results from the US National Health Interview Survey

“…In a recent study using 2004–2017 NHIS data, investigators reported higher odds of short sleep among all Hispanic/Latino heritage groups except US-born Cuban adults compared with NHW adults. 19 Our conflicting results are likely due to differences in categorisation of sleep duration (eg, ≤6 hours and ≥9 hours versus 7–8 hours), adjustment sets and modelling approaches. 19 25 38 Unlike our study, a multidimensional language acculturation measure was not associated with self-reported sleep problems among middle-aged Puerto Rican, Cuban and Dominican women in New Jersey.…”

“… 19 Our conflicting results are likely due to differences in categorisation of sleep duration (eg, ≤6 hours and ≥9 hours versus 7–8 hours), adjustment sets and modelling approaches. 19 25 38 Unlike our study, a multidimensional language acculturation measure was not associated with self-reported sleep problems among middle-aged Puerto Rican, Cuban and Dominican women in New Jersey. 36 …”

“… 4 9 11 17–19 Although a recent study used National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data and reported variation in Hispanic/Latino–NHW differences in sleep duration by Hispanic/Latino heritage, 20 the study did not have information regarding other important sleep quality characteristics and did not compare the sleep of foreign-born and US-born NHW adults. 19 Further, studies that compared sleep among foreign-born and US-born NHW adults either combined NHW individuals with other racial/ethnic groups 11 or provided unadjusted prevalence of sleep duration. 9 Additional research inclusive of other sleep health dimensions and with adjustment for relevant confounders is warranted.…”

Examining the relationship of sociodemographic factors, neighborhood cohesion and abnormal sleep duration among U.S. foreign-born subpopulations in the National Health Interview Survey

“…Conversely to Murillo et al [ 22 ], they only accounted for sleep outcomes (i.e., sleep duration hours, sleep fragmentation index, sleep maintenance efficiency) in their model. On the other hand, using the NHIS, Garcia et al [ 24 ], reported that except for U.S.-born Cubans, all Hispanic/Latino subgroups had higher odds of short sleep duration compared to non-Hispanic Whites in the U.S. Our study did not find any relationship between Cuban, Dominican, Central or South American, and other/multiple Hispanic/Latino ethnicity and sleep duration among foreign-born adults in the U.S., when compared to foreign-born non-Hispanics/Latinos. Garcia et al [ 24 ] accounted for demographic characteristics, acculturation measures, socioeconomic characteristics, and behavioral health characteristics (e.g., age, sex, marital status, the language of interview, education status, smoking status) in their model.…”

Profiles of Sleep Duration and Psychological Distress among Puerto Ricans Living in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Survey and Latent Class Analysis

“…A study by Canino et al [ 13 ] that compared the prevalence of psychiatric issues among island Puerto Ricans, US mainland Puerto Ricans, and the US population reported that US Puerto Ricans had higher rates of anxiety and depression in comparison to island Puerto Ricans. Nonetheless, regardless of nativity (US-born versus island-born) the Puerto Rican community has been associated with poorer sleep duration and mental health distress [ 14 ].…”