Going to Bed as White, Black, or Other: How Racial Identification Influences Sleep among U.S. Hispanics

• In Event: 2166 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 19: Health Outcomes & Race

Abstract

Racial/ethnic disparities in sleep duration are important public health concerns as short sleep (6 hours or less) is associated with multiple health conditions that disproportionately affect Americans of color. However, specific trends in sleep duration for Hispanic Americans are varied, most likely due to the heterogeneity in the Hispanic population within the United States. Differences in racial identity among Hispanics may account for differences in sleep duration obscured in research identifying Hispanics as a single racial group. The present study examines differences in reported sleep duration among White, Black, and Other racially identifying Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks. Findings suggest that reports of sleep duration among Hispanics vary by racial identity (with Black Hispanics more likely to report short sleep compared to White and Other Hispanics) and that consideration of racial identity among U.S. Hispanics is necessary for future research on racial/ethnic trends in sleep duration.

Author

• Calley Fisk, University of South Carolina