0323 Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Sleep Health: An Updated Analysis

Abstract Introduction Sleep plays a critical role in cardiometabolic, neurocognitive, and mental health. Racial and ethnic disparities have been documented across multiple sleep domains. This study provides an updated evaluation of racial/ethnic differences in sleep health using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. Methods NHIS Sample Adult data (unweighted N≈182,849) from 2019-2024 was collected and binary sleep outcomes were analyzed. The primary exposure was race/ethnicity with sixteen covariates (e.g. demographic, socioeconomic, health behavior, and health status ) included in survey-weighted logistic regression models for each outcome. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals were estimated. Results The sample (N=182,849) was racially and ethnically diverse with mean age 47.8 years and 51.5% were female. After adjustment, Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) (AOR 0.65, 95% Cl 0.61-0.70), Hispanic (0.92, 0.86-0.98), and Non-Hispanic Asian (NHA) (0.77, 0.70-0.85) adults had significantly lower odds of sufficient sleep compared with Non-Hispanic White (NHW) adults. NHB, Hispanic, and NHA adults were more likely to report feeling well rested than NHW adults (AOR 1.63, 95% CI 1.49–1.78; 1.77, 1.62–1.94; and 1.68, 1.50–1.89, respectively). All three groups also had lower odds of trouble staying asleep compared with NHW adults (NHB: AOR 0.74, 95% CI 0.69–0.79; Hispanic: 0.69, 0.64–0.74; NHA: 0.78, 0.71–0.85). Use of sleep medication was significantly lower across NHA, NHB, and Hispanic adults compared to NHW adults (AOR 0.64 [0.52–0.79], 0.65 [0.58–0.74], 0.76 [0.66–0.86], respectively). Conclusion In a racially and ethnically diverse population sample, NHA, NHB, and Hispanic adults experienced higher odds of insufficient sleep compared to NHW adults. All minority groups reported better subjective sleep quality (fewer insomnia symptoms, more frequent feeling rested) and were less likely to use sleep medications than NHW. These findings suggest that racial/ethnic sleep disparities are nuanced and minority groups may paradoxically report better sleep quality despite known risks for sleep shortfall, underscoring the need for culturally informed, race-specific sleep health interventions. Support (if any)