residents of Ontario (≥60 years) with and without chronic back problems who participated in the 2015-2016 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS).
2) Investigate whether chronic back problems are associated with poor sleep quality (as measured by number of hours spent sleeping each night, frequency of trouble going to sleep or staying asleep, and frequency of refreshing sleep) among Ontarians (≥60 years) who participated in the 2015-2016 CCHS.
3) Investigate the association between chronic back problems and the three sleep quality indicators among adults (≥60 years) with and without a diagnosis of sleep apnea.
Supervisor: Dr. Pierre Côté
Pegah Rahbar, BSc, DC
IDRR Student
Institution: University of Toronto
Project title: Association of chronic back problems and sleep quality among adults 60 and older.
Project background:Poor sleep quality is a growing concern in the aging population. In Canadian adults aged ≥65, 47.6% report having a fair or poor sleep quality and only 55% of older adults meet the sleep recommendations (7-8 hours/day). Little is known about the etiology of poor sleep quality in aging adults, but one hypothesized risk factor is experiencing chronic pain. Back pain is the leading cause of disability globally with its prevalence increasing with age up to 80 years old. Given the burden of chronic back problems in older adults and the health benefits of good quality sleep, it is important to explore whether chronic back problems are associated with poor sleep quality in this population.
Project objectives: We aim to:
1) Estimate the point prevalence of poor sleep quality (as measured by three indicators of number of hours spent sleeping each night, frequency of trouble going to sleep or staying asleep, and frequency of refreshing sleep) among