The relationship between maternal sleep duration during late pregnancy and low birth weight in Black American Women

• In Event: Prenatal stress exposure among Black American women: Implications for maternal and child health outcomes

Abstract

Emerging evidence demonstrates disproportionately higher rates of poor sleep quality among Black American women. Specifically, Black American women are more likely to report poorer sleep quality and greater variation in sleep duration compared to White women. In a sample of Chicago residents it was reported that sleep duration for Black women was 5.9 hours while for White women it was 6.7 hours. In pregnancy these racial disparities persist. Pregnant Black American women are at higher risk for adverse birth outcomes including preterm delivery and low birth weight than White women. Existing literature suggests that sleep disturbances may increase risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, findings from the literature testing the association between sleep quality, sleep duration, and low birth weight is inconsistent. Additionally, there is a lack of studies that focus on sleep disturbances in pregnant Black American women. In current analysis we test the relationship between maternal sleep quality, including sleep duration, across pregnancy and low birth weight in Black American women living in low-income environments.

Data was drawn from the Nutrition and Pregnancy Study (NAPS), an ongoing study of pregnant Black American women. The sleep data was collected from 58 women at each trimester of pregnancy. Birth weight was collected from medical records review. Sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a self-rated questionnaire for evaluating subjective sleep quality including seven subscales: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency (time to fall asleep), sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, use of sleeping medications, and daytime dysfunction. Sleep duration score ranges from 0 to 3, where “0” is assigned to women who report sleeping more than 7 hours, “1”- 6 to 7 hours of sleep, “2”- 5 to 6 hours of sleep, and “3” to women who sleep less than 5 hours.

The average duration of sleep for the sample was 7.1 hours (SD=1.7). Correlation coefficients revealed a modest association between birth weight and maternal sleep duration but only during late pregnancy (i.e. 33-37 weeks of gestation) (r= -.35, p < .01). Other categories of PSQI were not significantly associated with birth weight. Association between sleep duration and birth weight was tested with a one-way ANOVA. Shorter sleep duration during late pregnancy was associated with lower birth weight (F [3, 54] = 3.523, p = .021).

These findings suggest that shorter sleep duration during late pregnancy can be a risk factor for adverse birth outcomes in Black American women. Considering a higher risk of Black American women for shorter sleep duration, sleep disturbances and adverse birth outcomes, it is important to learn the mechanisms that link together sleep quality in pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes. Improving maternal sleep during pregnancy might help to reduce the risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Authors

• Rimma Ilyumzhinova, University of Chicago
  Presenting Author

• Kimberley Mbayiwa, University of Chicago
  Non-Presenting Author

• Anna Wiktoria Sroka, University of Chicago
  Non-Presenting Author

• Willa Meyer, University of Chicago
  Non-Presenting Author

• Katharine Ross, University of Chicago
  Non-Presenting Author

• Johnny Berona, University of Chicago
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alison E. Hipwell, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kate Keenan, University of Chicago
  Non-Presenting Author