The Association Between Asthma and Sleep in Urban Adolescents With Undiagnosed Asthma

BACKGROUND: We examined associations between asthma and sleep in a sample of inner-city adolescents with asthma-like symptoms who are undiagnosed, and to assess the extent to which youth's report of perceived stress moderates this association. METHODS: A total of 349 adolescents (83% girls), with a mean age of 15.8 years, and their primary caregivers participated. Large segments of the sample were Latinos (46%) or African Americans (37%). Adolescents reported on asthma-namely, rate of waking up at night due to asthma-like symptoms and perceived severity of breathing problems-and sleep, specifically sleep-wake behavior problems and daytime sleepiness during activities. Caregivers provided demographic information by telephone. RESULTS: Night awakenings and perceived severity of breathing problems were each independently associated with sleep-wake behavior problems and daytime sleepiness during activities. Youth report of perceived stress moderated the association between perceived severity of breathing problems and sleep-wake behavior problems, and perceived severity of breathing problems and daytime sleepiness during activities. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the importance of interventions that consider undiagnosed asthma and its effects on sleep indicators related to daytime functioning in this high risk group of youth. This study highlights the need for interventions that consider asthma severity, nocturnal asthma, and sleep problems among urban adolescents with no asthma diagnosis.