R01HL160619

Disrupted Sleep in Somali Americans: Implications for Hypertension Risk

Disrupted sleep is a major public health issue that independently increases the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Blacks have higher rates of sleep deficiency, which are likely under-reported. However, the existing data primarily relate to individuals of West African ancestry, and our current knowledge of sleep disruption in Blacks cannot be readily applied to Somali Americans.

The majority of Somali immigrants have settled in Minnesota, which places our Minnesota-based research team in a unique position to comprehensively study the mechanisms and consequences of disrupted sleep as a mediator of cardiovascular health disparities in this population. Our preliminary data suggest that Somali Americans have a high likelihood of disrupted sleep, which may put them at increased risk for hypertension and other CVD.

Underlying sociocultural, behavioral, environmental, and biological factors likely contribute to an increased risk for sleep deficiencies. Therefore, we propose an interdisciplinary approach using a socioecological model informed by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) research framework. This approach aims to determine the types and severity of undiagnosed sleep deficiencies in otherwise healthy Somali Americans, identify mechanisms contributing to their disrupted sleep, and examine the role of sleep deficiencies in raising blood pressure (BP).

Our central hypothesis is that Somali Americans will have a high likelihood of sleep deficiencies attributable in part to unique multilevel individual, psychosocial, contextual, and behavioral factors, which exert deleterious biological effects. To test this hypothesis, we propose the following aims:

Aim 1: Determine the types and severity of previously undiagnosed sleep deficiencies in otherwise healthy Somali Americans.
Hypothesis 1: Somali Americans have a high (>50%) likelihood of previously undiagnosed sleep deficiencies, including short sleep (<6 hours), insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea.

Aim 2: Apply the NIMHD research framework to define psychosocial, behavioral, environmental, and biological mechanisms mediating sleep deficiencies in Somali Americans.
Hypothesis 2: Unique multilevel individual, cultural, and environmental risk and protective factors play a mechanistic role in mediating an increased likelihood of disrupted sleep in Somali Americans.

Aim 3: Examine the relationship between sleep deficiencies and increased BP in Somali Americans.
Hypothesis 3: BP during wakefulness and/or sleep will be increased in those subjects with disrupted sleep, commensurate with the type and severity of sleep deficiency, and moderated by factors such as sex and age.

The expected outcome of this proposal will be a mechanistic pathway incorporating the NIMHD research framework to identify psychosocial, behavioral, contextual, and biological factors mediating sleep deficiencies and related increases in BP, and consequently hypertension risk. This research will address important knowledge gaps in understanding sleep-related health disparities and their consequences in Somali Americans.

Mayo Clinic

THE NATIONAL CENTER ON SLEEP DISORDERS RESEARCH (NCSDR) SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING RELATED TO SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING, AND THE FUNDAMENTAL FUNCTIONS OF SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS. THE CENTER ALSO STEWARDS SEVERAL FORUMS THAT FACILITATE THE COORDINATION OF SLEEP RESEARCH ACROSS NIH, OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES AND OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING THE SLEEP DISORDERS RESEARCH ADVISORY BOARD AND AN NIH-WIDE SLEEP RESEARCH COORDINATING COMMITTEE. THE CENTER ALSO PARTICIPATES IN THE TRANSLATION OF NEW SLEEP RESEARCH FINDINGS FOR DISSEMINATION TO HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, USE SMALL BUSINESS TO MEET FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS, FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS, AND INCREASE PRIVATE-SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER THROUGH COOPERATIVE R&D BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESSES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, AND INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL R&D.

93.837 - Cardiovascular Diseases Research

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) [HHS - NIH]

Rochester, Minnesota 559050001 United States

Single Zip Code

NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PA-20-185)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 294% from $787,153 to $3,097,975.