Prevalence of Self-Perceived Snoring and Apnea and Their Association with Daytime Sleepiness in Korean High School Students

Background and Purpose There has been no nationwide population-based study of the prevalence of self-perceived snoring/apnea in Korean adolescents. The purpose of this study was to estimate prevalence of self-perceived snoring/apnea in Korean high-school students and to evaluate their association with daytime sleepiness. Methods An online survey was used to investigate 12,672 students at 75 high schools across the 15 nationwide districts of South Korea. The variables were obtained using a self-reported questionnaire. The students answered questions about self-perceived snoring/apnea during the past 30 days. Daytime sleepiness was measured using a validated Korean version of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, which was modified for adolescents. Covariates were the sex, school grade, frequency of self-perceived snoring/apnea, body mass index, sleep duration during a school day, and subjective perception of sleep duration. Results The prevalence of self-perceived snoring/apnea was 22.8% (26.4% for males vs. 18.8% for females, p