Prevalence and Pattern of Obstructive Sleep Apnea among Undergraduate Students in Tertiary Institutions, Kwara State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: Sleep is a very important physiologic process which is necessary to maintain a state of well-being. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is prevalent among all age groups with variations in presentation and severity. It is often underreported, especially among young people in the Low- and Middle-Income Countries LMICs. This study assessed the prevalence and pattern of OSA among undergraduates enrolled at tertiary Institutions in Kwara State, Nigeria using both Epworth and Stop Bang tools.

Methodology: A campus-based study conducted among undergraduate students in Kwara state. Respondents were selected from three tertiary institutions. A total of 1,048 eligible students were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Stop Bang Questionnaire (SBQ) were adapted and administered. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted. The level of significance was set at a p-value of <0.05 at 95% confidence interval. Ethical approval was obtained.

Results: The mean age of respondents was 21± 2.69. More than half 634 (60.5%) of the 1048 respondents were females, with 20 (1.9%) were married. Abnormal sleepiness was reported in 151 (14.41%) while 897 (85.59%) had normal sleepiness using ESS. With the SBQ, 998 (95.2%) had a low risk while 46 (4.3%) had a moderate to high risk of OSA. Religion, increasing levels of study, and presence of chronic disease, were significantly associated with abnormal sleepiness using ESS, whereas female gender, religion, presence of chronic disease, smoking, use of sedatives and caffeine were significantly associated with OSA using SBQ.

Conclusion: The prevalence and pattern of sleep disorder among the undergraduates showed a moderate prevalence of sleep disorder and associated risks of OSA using the sleep disorder tools. There is a tendency to become a big burden with an increase in age, therefore health promotion interventions are recommended early to students to create awareness of OSA risks.