The Need for Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Research to Understand and Intervene on Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Dayna A Johnson; Chidinma Ohanele; Carmela Alcántara; Chandra L Jackson

doi:10.1016/j.jsmc.2024.07.002

The Need for Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Research to Understand and Intervene on Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Sleep Med Clin. 2024 Dec;19(4):519-536. doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2024.07.002.

Authors

Dayna A Johnson¹, Chidinma Ohanele², Carmela Alcántara³, Chandra L Jackson⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, CNR Room 3025, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, CNR Room 3025, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
³ School of Social Work, Columbia University, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, Room 917, New York, NY 10027, USA.
⁴ Epidemiology Branch, Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Equity, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 111 T.W. Alexander Drive, Room A327, Research Triangle Park, 27709 Post: P.O. Box 12233, Mail Drop A3-05, NC 27709, USA; Intramural Program, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Bethesda, MD, USA.

PMID: 39455174
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2024.07.002

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) disorder, affects at least 25 million adults in the United States and is associated with increased risk for hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Racial/ethnic minorities have a disproportionate burden of OSA along with the health sequelae associated with this condition. Despite supporting evidence of racial/ethnic disparities, few studies have investigated SDB including OSA among minoritized racial/ethnic groups. In this scoping review of the literature, the authors summarize current findings related to racial/ethnic disparities in OSA, identified social and environmental determinants of health, treatment inequities, and promising evidence-based interventions and conclude with future research directions.

Keywords: Health disparities; Health equity interventions; Obstructive sleep apnea; Race; Sleep disparities; Sleep-disordered breathing.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Ethnicity
Health Status Disparities
Healthcare Disparities / ethnology
Humans
Racial Groups
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive* / ethnology
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive* / therapy
Social Determinants of Health