Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Associated Cardiometabolic Factors in Latino Individuals of Mexican Ancestry at High Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: An El Banco Biobank Cross-Sectional Study

TL;DR

The study finds that excessive daytime sleepiness is linked to poor diet and worse diabetes control in Latino individuals of Mexican ancestry.

Contribution

The study identifies associations between excessive daytime sleepiness, diet quality, and glycemic control in a high-risk Latino population.

Findings

Excessive daytime sleepiness was present in 22% of participants and linked to higher BMI and waist circumference.

Poor diet quality and elevated HbA1c levels were significantly associated with excessive daytime sleepiness.

Adjusting for various factors confirmed a significant link between sleepiness and poor glycemic control.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Latinos, particularly those of Mexican ancestry, experience high rates of type 2 diabetes and sleep disturbances, exacerbating adverse health outcomes. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness and its associations with diet, cardiometabolic risk factors, and glycemic control in this population. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized data from the El Banco por Salud biobank, including 1685 participants (aged 52.6 ± 14.5 years, BMI: 32.4 ± 7.0 kg/m2) recruited from Federally Qualified Community Health Centers. Excessive daytime sleepiness was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, while dietary information was obtained via the Brief Dietary Assessment Tool for Hispanics. Primary outcomes included cardiometabolic risk factors and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Results: Excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale > 10) was present in 22.0% of participants and was associated with higher BMI (p < 0.001), larger waist circumference (p = 0.002), poorer diet quality, increased dyslipidemia (p = 0.036), and elevated HbA1c (p = 0.007). Linear regression analyses confirmed that excessive daytime sleepiness was significantly associated with higher HbA1c levels, both in unadjusted (R2 = 0.011; p < 0.001) and adjusted for demographic, anthropometric, and socioeconomic factors (R2 = 0.107; p = 0.004) models. Conclusions: Excessive daytime sleepiness among Latinos of Mexican ancestry is associated with unhealthy dietary patterns and poor glycemic control, highlighting the need for targeted interventions addressing sleep and dietary habits in this vulnerable population.