[Epidemiology of sleep disorders in rural northern Bénin in 2022].

Introduction: sleep disorders are diverse and increasingly common among Africans, but their true prevalence is little known on the continent. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of sleep disorders and factors associated with sleep quality in rural areas of Nikki, Bénin, in 2022.

Methods: this was an analytical cross-sectional study of subjects aged at least 18 years in the commune of Nikki in 2022. Patients were selected by two-stage random sampling. Sleep disorders were diagnosed on the basis of validated scales such as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire, the Berlin Questionnaire, the Epworth Score, the Restless Legs Syndrome Questionnaire, the Insomnia Severity Index and the Munich Parasomnia Screening Questionnaire.

Results: at the end of the study, 879 participants were included. Females predominated, with a sex ratio (F/H) of 1.9. Sleep quality was poor in 52.21% of cases. The prevalence of insomnia was 9.44%, restless leg syndrome 21.39% and daytime sleepiness 21.16%. Sleep apnea syndrome was present in 2.50% of participants. Male gender and active smoking were associated with poor sleep quality, with p=0.03 and p=0.021, respectively.

Conclusion: sleep disorders are common in Nikki's rural area, requiring mass screening campaigns to reduce the burden.