Race/Ethnic Differences in Socioeconomic Gradients in Sleep Duration and Quality Among U.S. Adults

Connor Sheehan , University of Southern California
Jennifer A. Ailshire, University of Southern California

In the United States greater socioeconomic attainment is associated with better health and sleep. However, whether racial/ethnic minorities receive the same benefit for sleep from increased socioeconomic status as non-Hispanic whites (whites) remains unclear. Using the 2004-2017 National Health Interview Survey (N=398,382), multinomial (self-reported sleep duration) and negative binomial (self-reported sleep quality) regression models were fit to examine the interaction between self-reported race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (educational attainment and household income). Even after adjustment for demographic, physical/mental health, behavioral health, and other socioeconomic characteristics, we found that for whites greater socioeconomic status (education and income) was significantly associated with healthy sleep durations and higher quality sleep. In contrast, for non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics, elevated socioeconomic status was associated with short-sleep duration and worse sleep quality. This work builds on previous work illustrating the precarious health of socioeconomically advantaged racial/ethnic minorities.

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 Presented in Session 11. Health & Mortality 2