Submission ID 117776
| Issue/Objective | Sleep is important to support physical, mental and emotional well-being. However, the quantity and quality of sleep that allows individuals to function at their highest cognitive, emotional, and physiological capacity eludes many in tropical and resource-poor settings that experience household energy insecurity. This effect is even more pronounced among people living with HIV. To mitigate this effect, current evidence shows that engaging in physical activity could improve sleep outcomes; however, no study has examined the relationships between these measures. Therefore, this study aims to examine the direct and indirect relationships (via physical activity) between household energy insecurity and sleep disorders. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Data for this study were drawn from the Resource Insecurity, Health, and Sustainable Livelihoods Study focused on PLHIV in Kenya (N=1,132). The data collected included household energy insecurity (HEINS) measure, vigorous, moderate and minimum physical activity measured in minutes for a week, sleep disorder (insomnia), and sociodemographic factors. Following descriptive and bivariate analysis, the multivariate models used linear regressions to assess household energy insecurity's direct and indirect effects (via physical activity) on insomnia. We adjusted for age, gender, marital status, education, SES, average income, health rating, and neighbourhood. |
| Results | Of the 1,132 PLHIV, about 36% reported insomnia and 42.3% engaged in vigorous physical activity. At the bivariate level, HEINS was significantly associated with insomnia and vigorous, moderate, and minimal physical activities at p<0.001 In the multivariate models, HEINS had a direct effect on insomnia (=0.09, 95%CI: 0.06,0.11) and vigorous (=19.4, 95%CI: 11.7, 27.1), moderate (=11.5, 95%CI: 5.8, 17.2) and minimal (=9.3, 95%CI: 4.02, 14.7) physical activity. Each level of physical activity significantly predicted insomnia (p<0.001). The results show complementary mediation in the same model when adjusting for physical activity and energy insecurity. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Our findings show that household energy insecurity worsens sleep disorders directly but indirectly reduces sleep disorders through vigorous, moderate, and minimal physical activity. This underscores the need for interventions aimed at addressing sleep disorders among PLHIVs that integrate physical activity programs while promoting access to clean, adequate, and affordable energy resources. Such integrated interventions could significantly improve the well-being of PLHIVs. |
| Presenters and affiliations | Godfred O. Boateng York University Mavis Odei Boateng York University Patrick M. Owuor Wayne State University Ellis Adjei Adams University of Notre Dame |
