Evaluation of Quality of Life in Individuals at Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and their Anthrometric Correlations

Abstract

Sleep is a biological condition capable of restoring the body from daily activities, its deprivation can be caused by several disorders, which includes Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Obesity, among others anthropometric quantities, belongs to the risk factors for OSA. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible relationships between anthropometric factors and the risk of OSA and their correlations with quality of life in students. Analytical observational cross-sectional study carried out with undergraduate university students of both sexes. The characteristics of age, sex, weight and anthropometric measures were used and two questionnaires were applied: STOP-BANG and SAQLI. The sample consisted of 90 participants, of whom 87.8% were considered normal for OSA (Group 1) and 12.2% were at risk of OSA (Group 2). The most influential measures for the Body Mass Index (BMI) were neck circumference (NC) and waist circumference (WC), with associations of +0.311 and +0.580, respectively. The largest problem in the quality of life of the participants was regarding the symptoms of the disease, while the measures that most influenced it were the waist-to-hip ratio (+0.608) and WC (+0.406). Most of the participants had an adequate BMI, while in Group 2, most had a high BMI. The most related problems with quality of life were morning headache, excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue. It is suggested that BMI and anthropometric measurements increase the likelihood that the individual is at risk for OSA and, consequently, interfere with quality of life.