1. The Prevalence of Insomnia, Its Sociodemographic and Clinical Correlates, and Treatment in Rural and Urban Regions of Beijing, China: A General Population-Based Survey
- Author
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Gabor S. Ungvari, Ye-Zhi Hou, Zhen-Bo Li, Zhanjiang Li, Zhuo-Ji Cai, Xin Ma, Wei-Min Dang, Yu-Fen Tao, Ying-Qiang Xiang, Kelly Y. C. Lai, Jing Deng, Shu-Ran Li, Yu-Tao Xiang, Hong-Li Guo, and Xiao-Mei Wu
- Subjects
Gerontology ,Adult ,Cross-Cultural Comparison ,Male ,Rural Population ,medicine.medical_specialty ,China ,Adolescent ,Urban Population ,Population ,Comorbidity ,Young Adult ,Quality of life (healthcare) ,Sex Factors ,Risk Factors ,Physiology (medical) ,Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ,Health care ,medicine ,Insomnia ,Humans ,Hypnotics and Sedatives ,education ,Prevalence of Insomnia in China ,Aged ,education.field_of_study ,business.industry ,Public health ,Age Factors ,Middle Aged ,Health Surveys ,Socioeconomic Factors ,Absenteeism ,Marital status ,Female ,Neurology (clinical) ,Rural area ,medicine.symptom ,business - Abstract
INSOMNIA IS AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE BECAUSE OF ITS HIGH PREVALENCE AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH WORK ABSENTEEISM, considerable impairment of quality of life, and increased medical and societal costs.1–4 It has been reported that nearly one-third of the adult population in the US suffer from sleep problems.5–7 In recent decades, insomnia received increasing attention from policymakers and health care providers, with a large body of studies undertaken.8 To implement appropriate strategies and effective measures to reduce the personal suffering and harmful consequences created by insomnia, it is essential to understand its prevalence and sociodemographic and clinical correlates. However, the frequency of insomnia across different countries varies considerably, ranging from 6% to 76.3%,9,10 due primarily to differences in interview procedures (telephone interviews vs. face-to-face interviews), the definition of criteria for insomnia, and its time frame (e.g., current, past week, past year, or lifetime).8 Several sociodemographic and clinical factors, such as female sex, advanced age, divorced or separated marital status, low income and educational level, and somatic or psychiatric conditions were found to be associated with insomnia in Western countries.7,9,11–13 To date, however, no studies have explored the prevalence of insomnia and its relationship with sociodemographic and clinical correlates in a general population-based survey in China, although previous studies indicate that cultural factors played an important role in insomnia.14,15 In traditional Chinese culture, diligence is highly praised; in contrast, sleep problems are usually minimized.16 Furthermore, the lay public often regards a regular good night's sleep as the manifestation of laziness.16,17 Two famous old sayings frequently quoted to encourage people in China are vivid examples of this attitude: “Pick a light to read for a night” and “Rising up upon hearing the crow of a rooster to practice sword playing”. The study reported herein set out to investigate (1) the prevalence of various types of DSM-IV-defined insomnia in the general population aged ≥15 years living in the urban and rural areas of Beijing, China; (2) the sociodemographic correlates of insomnia; (3) the relationship of insomnia to major medical and psychiatric disorders; and (4) the treatment of people with insomnia.
- Published
- 2008