Observational study finds widespread insomnia symptoms in African Americans with poor sleep, highlighting insomnia treatment as a potential target to reduce health disparities.
OBJECTIVES: African Americans experience health disparities and notably report poorer sleep than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. This study aimed to identify behavioral and physiological contributors of self-reported poor sleep among African Americans. METHOD: Eighty African Americans (50.1 ± 16.1 years [mean ± SD], 69 women) who reported poor sleep (<7 hr sleep/night, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, unrefreshing sleep, etc.) were enrolled. Sleep patterns were determined by 7-day accelerometry. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Sleep Hygiene Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) assessed sleep habits and disorders. Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, and Beck's Depression Inventory were also administered. RESULTS: range: 0.25-0.60). CONCLUSIONS: Insomnia symptoms were common among our cohort of African Americans. Considering the relationships observed with ISI, treatment of insomnia may be targeted to reduce health disparities.
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Peyrel et al. (2026) studied this question.
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