Prevalence of Insomnia and its Associated Factors among Geriatric Population in an Urban Locality of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India- A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Insomnia is a major public health concern among the aged population due to its impact on quality of life and raises an economic burden to the family and community. However, in the Indian scenario, the lack of information from community-based studies, stresses the need to assess the prevalence and factors associated with insomnia.

Aim: To find out the prevalence of insomnia and its associated factors, among aged population in an urban locality of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the urban field practise area of a Medical College in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, with 880 elderly subjects, from October 2016 to March 2017. Using Probability Proportional to Size (PPS), study subjects were surveyed in eight urban localities under Urban Health Training Centre. Insomnia was assessed by using {Difficulty in Maintaining Sleep (DSM)-IV-TR} diagnostic criteria. Variables associated with insomnia such as socio-personal characteristics and financial status was also assessed. The data was analysed using Chi-square test.

Results: The mean age of study subjects was 67.5±3.4 years and 455 (51.7%) were females and 425 (48.3%) were males. The prevalence of insomnia among aged population was 571 (64.9%) and prevalence of insomnia was more among females (p<0.001), Hindu by religion (p=0.001), unemployed (p<0.001), single (p<0.001), those with poor Self-Perceived Health (SPH) status (p<0.001), chronic diseases (p<0.001), history of stressful life events (p<0.001), with financial dependency (p<0.001) and social assistance (p<0.001).

Conclusion: The present study revealed high prevalence of insomnia in female, Hindu religion, unemployment, single, poor SPH status, presence of chronic diseases, history of stressful life events, presence of financial dependency and social assistance found to be significantly associated with insomnia.