09 Jul Obese Black Patients With Abnormal Sleep Have Greater Stroke Risk Than Whites

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Azizi Seixas

Azizi Seixas, Ph.D.
Post-Doc Fellow
Department of Population Health
Center for Healthful Behavior Change
NYU School of Medicine

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Compared with whites, blacks are disproportionately affected by strokes. The overwhelming prevalence of obesity among blacks compared to whites has been suggested as a possible explanation for the disproportionate rates of strokes among blacks compared to whites. Recent findings linking insufficient sleep and stroke as well as the disproportionate burden of insufficient sleep among blacks compared to whites might provide a unique mechanism explaining why blacks have higher rates of stroke. However, it is unclear whether insufficient sleep and obesity contributes to the higher rates of stroke among blacks compared to whites.

To test our hypothesis, we utilized data from the National Health Interview Survey from 2004-2013 with a sample size of 288,888 individuals from the United States. Using Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) analysis, a form of machine learning analysis, we assessed the mediating effects of BMI on the relationship between short sleep duration (≤6 hrs. total sleep duration), long sleep duration (≥9 hrs. total sleep duration), and stroke, and whether race/ethnicity differences in obesity moderated these relationships.

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: We found that stroke incident probability for obese whites who reported short sleep was 3.73% and for blacks was 5.14% (p<.001). While for obese whites who reported long sleep, the stroke incident was 8.66% and 11.71% for blacks (p<.001).

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Obese blacks who report short or long sleep are more at risk for stroke compared to their white counterparts.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: Obese blacks and whites should sleep 7-8 hours to reduce stroke risk.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: These findings are not causal but the data is representative of the United States population. Future studies should investigate whether improvement of sleep duration and reduction of body mass index reduces stroke risk.

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:
Seixas, A; Henclewood, D; Newsome, V; Robbins, R; Butler, M; Zizi, F; Grandner, M; Jean-Louis, G. ‘The impact of sleep and body mass index on stroke disparities between blacks and whites: A comparative analysis of structural equation modeling and Bayesian Belief Network machine learning analysis’ SLEEP 2016, Denver CO June 11-15.

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

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Last Updated on July 9, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD