Cross sectional study of the community Self-Reported Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome and levels of awareness in Attica, Greece

Introduction: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder that significantly increases morbidity and mortality of the affected population. There is lack of data in Greece regarding the community prevalence of OSAS in Attica. The purpose of this ongoing cross-sectional study is to investigate the self-reported risk of OSAS in the 8 subordinate regional units of the municipality of Attica, Greece, and to assess the awareness of the community regarding the disease and its diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Our study comprised of 472 inhabitants (134 men and 338 women) of the municipality of Attica that were studied by means of questionnaires via a telephone randomized survey (responsiveness rate of 25,69%). Participants were assessed by the Berlin Questionnaire (BQ) for evaluation of OSA risk, by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) for evaluation of excessive daytime sleepiness, and by questions regarding demographic and anthropometric data. Results: The percentage of participants at high risk according to BQ was 19.28% and at high risk according to ESS was 15.89%. A 4.03% of the participants was at high risk for OSAS (high risk both in BQ and ESS). A high percentage, 74.15% were knowledgable regarding OSAS as a syndrome, however a significantly smaller percentage of 28.6% were knowledgeable about the diagnosis and the existence of polysomnography (23.7%). Discussion: The self reported community prevalence of OSAS in the municipality of Attica in combination with the low-level of awareness regarding the OSAS diagnostic methods highlight the need for the development of health promotion programs aiming at increasing the disease awareness in the community in order to address OSAS more effectively.