Background and objective: The association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and atrial fibrillation (AF) has been closely studied. However, obesity is a powerful confounder in the causal relationship between OSA and cardiovascular disease. The contribution of obesity in the relationship between OSA and AF remains unclear.
Methods: We recruited 457 consecutive patients equally with and without AF who underwent clinically indicated diagnostic polysomnography at a single academic sleep center. Multivariable logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, hypertension, and heart failure was performed to study the independent association between OSA and AF stratified by obesity.
Results: A total of 457 patients (male: 56.2%, mean age 63.1 ± 13.3 years) was included. OSA prevalence was similar between those with and without AF (52.6% vs. 47.4%, respectively; p = 0.24). In multivariable analysis, no association was found between AF and OSA regardless of obesity status. When severe OSA (vs. non-severe OSA) was modeled as a dependent variable, AF was associated with a higher likelihood of severe OSA in non-obese patients [odds ratio (OR): 2.29, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23-4.35, p = 0.01], but not in obese patients (OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.48-1.90, p = 0.89).
Conclusion: The association of OSA with AF was present only in the non-obese and was limited to severe OSA patients. In contrast, no association was found in obese patients. The association between OSA and AF is partly dependent on the body habitus.
Objective and objective: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent disorder that disparately affects racial/ethnic minorities. OSA functional health literacy can contribute to health disparities. Documenting poor OSA functional health literacy is needed to inform research agendas, policy, and advocacy efforts. The objective of this study is to develop a scale for measuring OSA functional health literacy among diverse audiences and a variety of reading levels and to ascertain its reliability and validity.
Methods: Development of the 18-item Survey of OSA Functional Health Literacy (SOFHL) was guided by literature review and input from experts. A convenience sample of persons enrolled in a clinical trial completed the survey (n=194). The psychometric evaluation was conducted using factor analysis to identify the number of dimensions in the SOFHL and their relationship to other domains that are relevant to OSA functional health literacy.
Results: Internal consistency reliability (alpha) was estimated for the resulting scale and correlations with educational attainment and income completed. All respondents were Black and 29% reported average household income less than $10,000 USD. Confirmatory factor analysis provided support for two dimensions: OSA general knowledge (alpha=0.81) and self-efficacy for OSA self-management (alpha=0.71).
Conclusions: Higher educational attainment and socioeconomic status were associated with better OSA functional health literacy. These results provide preliminary support for the SOFHL, a measure that can be used to assess OSA functional health literacy.

