Correlates of habitual snoring and witnessed apnoeas in Busselton, Western Australia.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to identify potential body size, behavioural and respiratory risk factors for habitual snoring and witnessed apnoeas in a general population.


METHODS
Correlates of these conditions were studied in a sample of 3,577 adults aged 25-74 years who participated in a comprehensive health survey in Busselton, Western Australia, during 1994/95. Logistic regression was used to assess associations after age and gender adjustment and also in multivariate models.


RESULTS
The prevalence of both conditions was higher in men and rose with age. After controlling for age, gender and body mass index no additional body size variable remained significantly associated with witnessed apnoeas, whereas both waist-hip ratio and neck-height ratio remained significantly associated with habitual snoring. Among behavioural variables, smoking showed the strongest association, and among respiratory symptoms, asthma for habitual snoring and bronchitis for witnessed apnoeas had significant independent associations.


CONCLUSIONS
This study has confirmed obesity and smoking as key determinants of habitual snoring and witnessed apnoeas. It has also shown that a number of measures of obesity are independently related to habitual snoring and that asthma and bronchitis may also play a role, independently of obesity.
Knuiman
Matthew W
MW
School of Population Health (M431), University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009. matthew@sph.uwa.edu.au
James
Alan L
AL
Divitini
Mark L
ML
Bartholomew
Helen C
HC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012913:Snoring / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology