SLEEP 2011 Abstract Supplement

B. Clinical Sleep Science X. Normal Physiology of Sleep and Normal Variants
screen for the presence of hypertension, diabetes, and prostate cancer.
The present study assessed associations of short sleep with dysfunctional
beliefs and attitudes toward sleep among black men in the barbershop.
Methods: Respondents were black customers (n=120; mean age=42±15
years) attending barbershops in Brooklyn, NY. They provided sociodemographic
data and estimated habitual sleep time. The Apnea Risk Evaluation
System (ARES) was used to identify men at high OSA risk; this is
recommended for populations with a large pretest probability for OSA.
The Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS) was
used to quantify strength of endorsed attitudes/beliefs toward sleep.
DBAS is a Likert-type scale requiring men to indicate from 0 (strongly
disagree) to 10 (strongly agree); higher scores indicated more dysfunctional
attitudes/beliefs about sleep.
Results: Of the sample, 25% reported hypertension, 11%, diabetes, and
3%, heart disease; 68% were overweight/obese. They also reported caffeine
intake (22%) and alcohol consumption (29%). Estimated rates of
sleep-related problems were: nap=36%, DIS=23%, DMS=24%, and
sleep medicine=6.2%. Rate of short sleep (≤6h) was 57%; 34% were
satisfied with their sleep. ARES data showed 29% were at high OSA risk
(cut-off: >5). The mean DBAS score was 4.26±1.99; log-transformed
values were used in ANCOVA, adjusting for effects of age, BMI, HTN,
DM, mood, and sleep variables. Short sleepers did not have greater
DBAS scores than average sleepers (7-8h) [F 1,92
=0.89, NS]. Rather,
men at high OSA risk had greater DBAS scores [F 1,92
=13.68, p