Prevalence of insomnia and associated socio-demographic factors in a Brazilian community: the Bambuí study.
BACKGROUND
Population-based studies of insomnia among adults residing in communities in developing countries are rare. The objectives of this population-based study were to determine the prevalence and factors associated with insomnia among adults (18 years and over) living in a Brazilian town with 15,000 inhabitants (Bambuí MG) and to determine how the use of different definitions of insomnia affect its prevalence.


METHODS
A total of 87.3% of 1221 randomly selected individuals aged 18+ participated. Prevalences were estimated based on different definitions. To determine the associated characteristics, insomnia was defined as a complaint in the last month, occurring at least three times a week, causing distress.


RESULTS
(1) Prevalence ranged from 12.0 to 76.3%; (2) prevalence of insomnia, as defined above, was 35.4%; (3) prevalence among women increased with age and was higher than that of men; (4) insomnia was independently associated with less education in both sexes, and among females it was associated with older age (60+ years).


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of insomnia in Bambuí was high, similar to that of urban centers of developed countries; this investigation substantiated the importance of operational criteria in studies of insomnia.
Rocha
Fábio Lopes
FL
Medical Residency of Psychiatry, Institute of Social Security of the Civil Servants of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Rua dos Otoni 106, 30150.270, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. rochafl@uol.com.br
Guerra
Henrique L
HL
Lima-Costa
Maria Fernanda F
MF