Date of Conferral

6-26-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

Nicoletta Alexander

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep-disordered breathing. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a global health epidemic that is associated with the obesity pandemic and daytime sleepiness. This quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to examine associations between daytime sleepiness measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, obesity measured by body mass index (BMI), and severity of OSA measured by the apnea-hypopnea index among Caribbean women residing in the Cayman Islands. The health belief model served as the theoretical framework to guide this research. Daytime sleepiness and obesity were independent variables; the dependent variable was the severity of OSA, and age was a covariate variable. The final sample consisted of 162 women between 30 and 70 years old. Descriptive statistics, Pearson chi-square tests, and ordinal regression were applied to address each research question. The findings showed that women with higher levels of daytime sleepiness were 1.48 times more likely to be diagnosed with OSA, while those with higher BMI were 1.67 times more likely to receive the diagnosis. Increasing age was associated with a 1.35-fold increase in the likelihood of being diagnosed with OSA. Ordinal regression results showed that daytime sleepiness (p = 0.026), obesity (p = 0.002), and age (p = 0.035) were significantly associated with the severity of OSA and indicated a moderate increase in the odds of OSA. This study has the potential to promote positive social change by enhancing public health education about OSA in the Caribbean region. Specifically, the findings may contribute to earlier diagnosis, improved treatment outcomes for women with OSA, and a broader understanding of the condition in the existing literature.

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