An investigation of racial and socioeconomic factors related to sleep in a Brazilian population sample

Objectives

The relationship of sleep, race, and socioeconomic status has become the focus of discussion in several studies. Investigation of these connections in sleep studies has identified substantial associations between these factors. However, most research output on this subject comes from higher-income countries with specific social issues, which warrants evaluations in countries with other socioeconomic backgrounds. This study aimed at performing an assessment of sleep, race, and socioeconomic status in the Brazilian population.

Methods

This manuscript examined data from a large-scale Brazilian epidemiological study, comprising 1042 participants. Self-declared race/skin color could be reported from five options (Black, White, Indigenous, Asian, Pardo) or as an open-ended question. Socioeconomic status was assessed using the Brazil Economic Classification Criteria, a questionnaire that evaluates possession of domestic appliances, educational level, and house structure.

Results

Self-declared Black Brazilians with lower socioeconomic status presented significantly lower objective total sleep time; conversely, they also presented lower wake after sleep onset time and higher sleep efficiency. Mid-to-high socioeconomic status Pardo Brazilians had less total sleep time and higher sleep latency.

Conclusions

The sleep disparities in our findings, compared with those from studies from other countries, suggest that sociodemographic and racial/ethnic factors may vary in nature from one population to another. Therefore, the social and racial construction of each specific nation or culture must be considered in epidemiological sleep assessments and comparisons with other studies.