Understanding the social determinants of older adults` sleep: Integrating actigraphy into survey data collection and analysis

Abstract

Poor sleep can lead to increased risk of chronic diseases and excessive mortality of older adults. Few studies have reported on the relationship between social participation and sleep. The purpose of this case study is to discuss the challenges and methodological solutions for examining the relationship between social participation and sleep in older adults. A strategy for incorporating and using actigraphy to measure sleep in a national representative sample of older adults is provided. The semi-longitudinal feature of the data is used to gain insights into the causal relationship between social participation and older adults. Students of social epidemiology, medical sociology, and health disparities can benefit from the methods discussed in this case study.