The prevalence of insomnia and its socio-demographic and clinical correlates in older adults in rural China: a pilot study

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of insomnia (DIS: difficulty initiating sleep; DMS: difficulty maintaining sleep; and EMA: early morning awakening), its socio-demographic and clinical correlates, and the treatment patterns in older adults in rural China.

Method: A sample of 263 subjects was recruited in Mianyang and interviewed using standardized instruments. Basic socio-demographic and clinical data were collected.

Results: The expected mean total sleep time (TST) of the whole sample was 6.8 ± 2.2 hours, and the actual mean TST was 6.3 ± 2.1 hours. The 1-year prevalence of at least one type of insomnia was 7.6%; the rates of DIS, DMS, and EMA were 5.7%, 7.2%, and 6.8%, respectively. On multivariate analyses, female sex and psychiatric disorders were independently associated with more frequent insomnia.

Conclusion: Insomnia is not uncommon in older adults in rural China, and the low percentage of subjects treated suggests that improved access to treatment might be indicated.

Keywords:

• epidemiology
• insomnia
• rural China

Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by an unrestricted educational grant from Lundbeck Export A/S (H. Chiu, PI), by Direct Grant 2041160 from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (S. Chan, PI), and by grant D43 TW05814 from the Fogarty International Center of NIH (E.D. Caine, PI). We thank Mianyang CDC and its regional CDCs, their numerous staff, especially our interviewers, and helpers from local health system and villages, for data collection and cleaning. We also thank Anthony Beckman, Arthur Watts, and Xin Tu for their assistance with data management and data analysis, and Kenneth R. Conner for his contribution to the study design, battery development and data management. We are grateful to all subjects involved in this survey.

Notes

Note: CESD = Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; LSS = Life Satisfaction Scale; SSS = Social Support Scale.

Note: CESD = Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; LSS = Life Satisfaction Scale; SSS = Social Support Scale; DIS = difficulty initiating sleep; DMS = difficulty maintaining sleep; EMA = early morning awakening.