A scoping review of racial/ethnic disparities in sleep

Background: Despite remarkable achievements in ensuring health equity, racial/ethnic disparities in sleep still persist and are emerging as a major area of concern. Accumulating evidence has not yet been well characterized from a broad perspective. We conducted a scoping review of studies on sleep disparities by race/ethnicity to summarize characteristics of existing studies and identify evidence gaps. Methods: We searched PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases for studies of racial/ethnic disparities in sleep. Studies that met inclusion criteria were retrieved and organized in a data charting form by study design, sleep measuring methods, sleep features, and racial/ethnic comparisons. Results: One hundred sixteen studies were included in this review. Most studies focused on disparities between Whites and Blacks. Disproportionately fewer studies examined disparities for Hispanic, Asian, and other racial/ethnic groups. Self-reported sleep was most frequently used. Sleep duration, overall sleep quality, and sleep disordered breathing were frequently studied, whereas other features including sleep efficiency, latency, continuity, and architecture were understudied, particularly in racial minority groups in the US. Current study findings on racial/ethnic disparities in most of sleep features is mixed and inconclusive. Conclusions: This review identified significant evidence gaps in racial/ethnic disparities research on sleep. Our results suggest a need for more studies examining diverse sleep features using standardized and robust measuring methods for more valid comparisons of sleep health in diverse race/ethnicity groups. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A scoping review of 116 studies on racial/ethnic disparities in sleep highlighted a focus on disparities between Whites and Blacks, with fewer studies examining Hispanic, Asian, and other racial/ethnic groups. Most studies used self-reported sleep data, with understudied features including sleep efficiency, latency, continuity, and architecture, particularly in racial minority groups in the US. The current findings on racial/ethnic disparities in most sleep features are mixed and inconclusive, indicating a need for more diverse and robust studies.