The prevalence of sleep disturbances and sleep quality in older Chinese adults: A comprehensive meta-analysis

Objective: This is a meta-analysis of the pooled prevalence of insomnia-specific sleep disturbances (sleep disturbances thereafter) and sleep quality in older Chinese adults. Method: Both English (PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO) and Chinese (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI], WanFang and SinoMed) databases were systematically searched. Data extraction and quality assessment were independently performed by two investigators. Random-effects model was performed to pool the prevalence of sleep disturbances and sleep quality. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were performed to explore the source of heterogeneity. Funnel plots, Egger’s regression model, and Begg’s test were used to assess publication bias. Results: A total of 47 studies were included. The pooled prevalence of sleep disturbances was 35.9% (95% CI: 30.6%–41.2%). Older adults in rural areas had higher prevalence of sleep disturbances than their counterparts in urban areas. Sleep quality was measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Assessment (PSQI) in all studies with available data. In the 27 studies with available data, the pooled mean PSQI total score was 6.64 (95% CI: 6.14–7.13). There was no significant difference between genders and between rural and urban areas. Compared to men, women had higher mean scores in sleep latency (Q = 23.62, p < 0.001), sleep efficiency (Q = 12.08, p = 0.001), and use of sleep-promoting medications (Q = 4.07, p = 0.044). Conclusion: Sleep disturbances are common in older Chinese adults, particularly in older women.