title: Sleep time and pattern of adult individuals in primary care in an Asian urbanized community: A cross-sectional study.
abstract: Sleep norms vary between individuals, being affected by personal, communal, and socioeconomic factors. Individuals with sleep time which deviate from the population norm are at risks of adverse mental, cardiovascular, and metabolic health. Sleep-related issues are common agenda for consultation in primary care. This study aimed to determine the sleep time, pattern, and behavior of multiethnic Asian individuals who attended public primary care clinics in an urban metropolitan city-state.Standardized questionnaires were assistant-administered to adult Asian individuals who visited 2 local public primary care clinics in north-eastern and southern regions of Singapore. The questionnaire included questions on demographic characteristics, self-reported sleep time, patterns, and behavior and those originated from the American National Sleep Foundation Sleep Diary. The data were collated, audited, rectified, and anonymized before being analyzed by the biostatistician. Individuals with 7 h sleep time or longer were deemed getting adequate sleep. Chi-squared or Fisher exact test was used to test the association between the demographic and behavioral variables and sleep time. Next, regression analysis was performed to identify key factors associated with their sleep time.A total of 350 individuals were recruited, with higher proportion of those of Chinese ethnicity reporting adequate sleep. Almost half (48.1%) of those who slept <7 h on weekdays tended to sleep ≥7 h on weekends. More individuals who reported no difficulty falling asleep, had regular sleep hours and awakening time, tended to sleep adequately. Those who slept with children, studied, read leisurely, used computer or laptops in their bedrooms, drank caffeinated beverages or smoked had inadequate sleep. Those who perceived sufficient sleep and considered 8 h as adequate sleep time had weekday and weekend sleep adequacy.Sleep time varied according to ethnicity, employment status, personal behavior, and perception of sleep sufficiency. Awareness of sleep time and pattern allows the local physicians to contextualize the discussion of sleep adequacy with their patients during consultation, which is a prerequisite to resolve their sleep-related issues.
authors: SingHealth Polyclinics Duke NUS Medical School Ministry of Health Holdings Pte Ltd National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Changi General Hospital, Singapore.
authors: Ngiap Chuan
authors: NC
authors: Tan
authors: Mui Suan
authors: MS
authors: Tan
authors: Siew Wai
authors: SW
authors: Hwang
authors: Chia Chia
authors: CC
authors: Teo
authors: Zhi Kang Niccol
authors: ZKN
authors: Lee
authors: Jing Yao Jonathan
authors: JYJ
authors: Soh
authors: Yi Ling Eileen
authors: YLE
authors: Koh
authors: Choon How
authors: CH
authors: How
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003201:Computers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology; D012890:Sleep; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D012907:Smoking; D014505:Urban Population