Poor sleep quality and alcohol use problems among elderly Taiwanese aboriginal women

BACKGROUND: Little is known about sleep quality and alcohol use problems in the elderly minority population. This study aimed to identify a one-month prevalence of poor sleep quality and alcohol use problems among elderly Taiwanese aboriginal women and to examine the association between them. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey with stratified random sampling was conducted in eight aboriginal communities in Taiwan. The 1261 elderly aboriginal women (response rate 84%) completed all assessments. Sleep was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while the CAGE questionnaire was used to evaluate alcohol use problems. RESULTS: Of the study participants, 20.54% and 25.59% had poor sleep quality and alcohol use problems, respectively. Controlling for confounding factors, alcohol use problems were a risk factor for poor sleep quality (AOR = 1.44, p = 0.0433). Alcohol use problems were associated with three components of PSQI: sleep disturbances, subjective sleep quality, and daytime dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: The elderly Taiwanese aboriginal women with problematic alcohol drinking experienced poorer sleep quality. Development of a program to reduce alcohol use problems might improve sleep quality among elderly Taiwanese aboriginal women.