Prevalence and social and health correlates of insomnia symptoms among middle-and older-age persons in rural South Africa

Abstract

This study investigated the prevalence and social and health correlates of insomnia symptoms among middle-and older-adults in rural South Africa. We analysed baseline survey data from the Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH community in South Africa (HAALSI) (N = 5 059; females = 53.6%; largely African Shangaan/Tsonga-speaking). In all, 8.0% of the adults had three insomnia symptoms, 8.9% of participants had difficulty initiating sleep, 13.6% had difficulty in sleep maintenance, and 6.5% had poor sleep quality. In adjusted logistic regression, lower education, perceived unsafe neighbourhood, poorer self-rated health status, vision difficulty, pain, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms increased the odds of having insomnia symptoms. Insomnia symptoms are common in middle-and older-age adults in rural South Africa, and various risk factors were identified. This can help in improving insomnia prevention treatment in this population.