Boyajian Silvia D, Salameh Muna A, Alzyoud Kholoud, Amaireh Enas A, Badah Lujayn, Al Qutami Malek, Alsharayri Mira, Abubaker Osama, Shwashreh Rzan
Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt, 19117, Jordan.
Department of Medical Imaging, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, 13133, Jordan.
J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2025 Feb 3;100(1):2. doi: 10.1186/s42506-025-00182-2.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition in pediatrics that requires prompt recognition and management to minimize its negative impact on their health and development. Data on the prevalence of OSA among school-age minors in Jordan is scarce. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of OSA in children and adolescents and identify factors that make them more likely to have OSA and its impact on academic achievement.
This school-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January to March 2023. A questionnaire including information on demographic variables, school performance, and a validated sleep-related breathing disorder (SRBD) scale for pediatrics was distributed to 1798 students in schools all over Amman. The prevalence of OSA (defined as SRBD score > 33%) was reported as a proportion along with its 95% confidence interval.
Out of the 2000 questionnaires distributed, 1798 were analyzed. Among these, 1079 (60%) were from children aged 5 to 10 years, and 719 (40%) were from adolescents aged 11 to 18 years. The prevalence of high risk for OSA (HR-OSA) was higher among adolescents than in children (25.6% vs. 20.8%). Adolescents with unemployed fathers were more likely to be HR-OSA (33.70 vs 17.57%, p < 0.001). In contrast, paternal employment did not affect the prevalence of HR-OSA in children. Sleep talking, bruxism, and sweating during sleep were more common among children with positive SRBD. Nocturnal enuresis (NE) was associated with positive SRBD in children and adolescents. HR-OSA was associated with poor academic performance in both study groups.
HR-OSA is highly prevalent in Jordanian children and adolescents. HR-OSA can occur alongside other sleep disorders, and it significantly impairs the academic performance of affected individuals. This study found an association between high risk for OSA and other sleeping disorders (sleep talking, sleep bruxism, and sweat during sleeping) and nocturnal enuresis which needs to be confirmed in larger studies.
阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA）是儿科常见病症，需要及时识别和管理，以尽量减少其对儿童健康和发育的负面影响。约旦学龄未成年人中OSA患病率的数据稀缺。本研究旨在估计儿童和青少年中OSA的患病率，并确定使其更易患OSA的因素及其对学业成绩的影响。
本基于学校的横断面研究于2023年1月至3月进行。向安曼各地学校的1798名学生发放了一份问卷，内容包括人口统计学变量、学校表现以及经过验证的儿科睡眠相关呼吸障碍（SRBD）量表。OSA的患病率（定义为SRBD评分>33%）以比例形式报告，并给出其95%置信区间。
在发放的2000份问卷中，1798份被分析。其中，1079份（60%）来自5至10岁儿童，719份（40%）来自11至18岁青少年。青少年中OSA高风险（HR - OSA）的患病率高于儿童（25.6%对20.8%）。父亲失业的青少年更易患HR - OSA（33.70对17.57%，p<0.001）。相比之下，父亲的就业情况不影响儿童中HR - OSA的患病率。睡眠中说话、磨牙和出汗在SRBD呈阳性的儿童中更常见。夜间遗尿（NE）与儿童和青少年的SRBD阳性相关。HR - OSA在两个研究组中均与学业成绩不佳相关。
HR - OSA在约旦儿童和青少年中高度流行。HR - OSA可能与其他睡眠障碍同时出现，并且会显著损害受影响个体的学业成绩。本研究发现OSA高风险与其他睡眠障碍（睡眠中说话、睡眠磨牙和睡眠出汗）以及夜间遗尿之间存在关联，这需要在更大规模的研究中得到证实。
