Insomnia Symptoms among African-American Older Adults in Economically Disadvantaged Areas of South Los Angeles

Abstract

Background. Although psychosocial and health factors impact insomnia symptoms, less is known about these effects in economically disadvantaged African-American older adults. Aims. This study investigated social and health determinants of insomnia symptoms among economically disadvantaged African-American older adults. Methods. This survey enrolled 398 African-American older adults (age ≥ 65 years) from economically disadvantaged areas of South Los Angeles. Gender, age, educational attainment, financial difficulty, number of chronic diseases, self-rated health, pain intensity, and depression were covariates. Total insomnia, insomnia symptoms, and insomnia impact were our outcomes. Linear regression was applied for data analysis. Results. Based on linear regression, higher financial difficulty (B = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.35–0.61), smoking status (B = 1.64, 95% CI = 0.13–3.16), higher pain intensity (B = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.11–0.67), higher number of chronic diseases (B = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.05–0.64), and more depressive symptoms (B = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.12–0.57) were associated with a higher frequency of insomnia symptoms. Based on a logistic regression model, lower age (B = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.91–1.00) and high financial difficulty (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.08–1.24), pain (OR = 2.08, 95% CI = 1.14–3.80), chronic disease (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.07–1.51) and depression (OR = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.22–4.65) were associated with higher odds of possible clinical insomnia. We also found specific predictors for insomnia symptoms and insomnia impact. Conclusions. Among African-American older adults in economically disadvantaged areas of South Los Angeles, insomnia symptoms co-occur with other economic, physical, and mental health challenges such as financial difficulty, smoking, multimorbidity, pain, and depression. There is a need to address sleep as a component of care of economically disadvantaged African-American older adults who have multiple social and health challenges.

Smoking Status and Well-Being of Underserved African American Older Adults

“…This community-based cross-sectional study surveyed a convenience sample (n = 740) of older African Americans residing in South Los Angeles [3,4,6,[28][29][30][31]. Also referred to as "South Los Angeles" Service Planning Area 6 of Los Angeles County, which serves the communities of Athens, Compton, Crenshaw, Florence, Hyde Park, Lynwood, Paramount, and Watts.…”

“…This subset of older adults is faced with numerous health disparities, including lower rates of preventative health services and a greater delay in care. Individuals enrolled in any type of nursing facility, enrolled in any other research study, and who have observable intellectual impairments, were excluded from this study [3,4,6,[28][29][30][31].…”

“…Potential participants were recruited through various methods, including flyers in community areas and healthcare clinics. In addition, potential participants were referred by healthcare providers and already-enrolled participants [3,4,6,[28][29][30][31].…”

Resilience Improves the Sleep Quality in Disabled Elders: The Role of Perceived Stress

“…Poor quality of sleep not only seriously affects the quality of life ( Wang F. et al, 2019 ) but also leads to serious psychosomatic problems (e.g., loneliness and cognitive impairment) among Chinese elders ( Suh et al, 2018 ; Yu et al, 2018 ). Long-term insomnia would lead to a decline in body function as well as an increase in the risk of various mental disorders, physical illnesses, and mortality ( Bazargan et al, 2019 ). However, most of the current research made concerns on the general elders.…”

Midday Napping and Successful Aging in Older People Living in the Mediterranean Region: The Epidemiological Mediterranean Islands Study (MEDIS)

“…In general, older people tend to go to sleep earlier and wake earlier than younger adults for a number of different reasons, such as insomnia and sleep apnea, which are the most common sleep problems among older people [42]. A survey in older African-American people from disadvantaged financial areas of South Los Angeles revealed that insomnia symptoms co-exist with many mental, physical, and financial challenges and that sleep could be one of the ways to cope with these challenges [43]. Sleep apnea can also cause other problems as well, such as memory loss, high blood pressure, or even stroke [44], and all of these problems affect the quality of life of older people, their sleep duration, and therefore their course of aging.…”