Eighth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Whereas sleep as a science has been studied for over a century in sleep laboratories, the prevalence and severity of sleep disorders in certain geographic regions have remained relatively unknown. A recent national survey of health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services (CDC, 2016) revealed that Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders reported the lowest prevalence rate of healthy sleep duration (56.1%) of all races/ethnicities and geographic locations surveyed (Lui et al., 2016). Adults who sleep fewer than seven hours a night are at an increased risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, frequent mental distress, all-cause mortality (Grandner et al., 2014; Lui et al., 2013; Gallicchio et al., 2009), as well as cognitive performance tasks, including motor vehicle operation, medical errors, and work productivity loss (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2006). Statistical analyses of large scale behavioral datasets reveal that Native Hawaiians experience both an increased rate of sleep disorders, as well as cardiovascular disease risk factors when compared to individuals from other geographic regions. Bidirectional correlates of culture, genetics, education, diet/obesity, and health beliefs will be used to explain this alarming trajectory of poor health outcomes for this newly studied population.