Low levels of awareness of obstructive sleep apnoea amongst the Australian general public

Introduction: Despite the serious health implications associated with obstructive sleep apnoea, the condition remains under-diagnosed. This study aims to evaluate the awareness of the condition amongst the Australian community.

Methods: A total of 2016 respondents recruited from a web-based panel completed an online questionnaire which assessed awareness and experience of obstructive sleep apnoea and sleep-disordered breathing. The association between the level of awareness and various socio-demographic variables was analysed using uni- and multivariate analyses.

Results: The results of the questionnaire indicated that 50% and 70% of participants were unaware of adult and paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea. Socio-demographic variables including age, annual household income and education level significantly influenced a participant’s level of awareness. Approximately 8.3% of the participants had previously been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea. However, 65% of participants exhibiting symptoms of daytime sleepiness had not sought health care. Paediatric sleep apnoea had been previously diagnosed in 7.1% of children residing in participant’s households but 49% of children with regular snoring had not been medically evaluated.

Conclusion: A deficiency exists in the awareness of sleep apnoea amongst the Australian general public. This is reflected in the discrepancy between the number of participants exhibiting potential symptoms and those who sought medical advice.