Neighborhood and Household Environment as Contributors to Racial Disparities in Sleep Duration among U.S. Adolescents

Citation

Saelee, Ryan; Haardörfer, Regine; Johnson, Dayna A.; Gazmararian, Julie A.; & Suglia, Shakira F. (2023). Neighborhood and Household Environment as Contributors to Racial Disparities in Sleep Duration among U.S. Adolescents. Sleep Epidemiology. vol. 3 , PMCID: PMC10769009

Abstract

Objective
Racial disparities in adolescent sleep duration have been documented, but pathways driving these disparities are not well understood. This study examined whether neighborhood and household environments explained racial disparities in adolescent sleep duration.

Methods
Participants came from Waves I and II of Add Health (n=13,019). Self-reported short sleep duration was defined as less than the recommended amount for age (<9 hours for 6-12 years, <8 hours for 13-18 years, and <7 hours for 18-64 years). Neighborhood factors included neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, perceived safety and social cohesion. Household factors included living in a single parent household and household socioeconomic status (HSES). Structural equation modeling was used to assess mediation of the neighborhood and household environment in the association between race/ethnicity and short sleep duration.

Results
Only HSES mediated racial disparities, explaining non-Hispanic (NH) African American-NH White (11.6%), NH American Indian-NH White (9.9%), and Latinx-NH White (42.4%) differences. Unexpectedly, higher HSES was positively associated with short sleep duration.

Conclusion
Household SES may be an important pathway explaining racial disparities in adolescent sleep duration. Future studies should examine mechanisms linking household SES to sleep and identify buffers for racial/ethnic minority adolescents against the detrimental impacts that living in a higher household SES may have on sleep.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleepe.2023.100065

Keyword(s)

Sleep

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

Sleep Epidemiology

Author(s)

Saelee, Ryan
Haardörfer, Regine
Johnson, Dayna A.
Gazmararian, Julie A.
Suglia, Shakira F.

Year Published

2023

Volume Number

3

Edition

December 01, 2023

ISSN/ISBN

2667-3436

DOI

10.1016/j.sleepe.2023.100065

PMCID

PMC10769009

Reference ID

10092