Abstract Body: Introduction
Emerging evidence suggests food insecurity (FI) is associated with adverse sleep outcomes. The American Heart Association recommends 7-9 hours of sleep each night to reduce risk of adverse outcomes like hypertension. Though evidence suggests adverse sleep outcomes are associated with FI and hypertension, there is limited research to understand the role of sleep outcomes in the Caribbean, a region that is double burdened with food insecurity and hypertension.
Objective
To describe sleep duration among patients with hypertension in two clinics in Jamaica and evaluate association between sleep duration, FI, and sociodemographic factors.
Hypothesis
We hypothesize that food insecurity is associated with shorter sleep duration in Jamaica.
Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional analysis from the Addressing Blood Pressure Control through Dietary Approaches (ABCD) study, recruiting patients with hypertension from a specialist clinic and a primary health care clinic within the University of the West Indies. Sleep duration was gauged by asking, "On average, how many hours do you sleep at night?" Food security was assessed using the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA). Only participants with complete data on food security and sleep were included for analysis. Logistic regression evaluated associations between short sleep duration (5-6 hours) and normal/long sleep duration (≥7 hours) with food insecurity.
Results:
The sample included 252 participants (71% females; mean age 65 years). Thirty-four percent had short sleep duration (5-6 hours), while 52% slept 7-8 hours and 13% for ≥9 hours. Twenty-three percent were food secure, 41% had mild FI, 21% moderate FI, and 15% severe FI. In a model adjusted for age, sex, education, employment, and marital status, hypertensive patients with FI had higher odds of short sleep, though not statistically significant. Participants aged 55-64 years and 65-74 years were more likely to have short sleep duration (OR 2.53, p=0.033 and 4.81, p=0.003, respectively). Retired individuals were less likely to have short sleep duration (OR 0.39, p=0.025).
Conclusion:
While no statistically significant association was observed between FI and sleep duration in this study, the association with age and retirement are noteworthy. Given the high burden of FI and short sleep duration in this study and the importance of sleep for cardiovascular outcomes, larger studies exploring these associations are warranted.