Low Income/Low Access Census Tracts (Food Deserts) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Related Health Metrics

Sunday, September 29, 2024

3:12 PM – 3:18 PM EDT

Location: MBCC, 238-239

Disclosure(s):

Nihal A. Punjabi, BS:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

WayAnne B. Watson, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Alexandra Vacaru, BS:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Roy Qu, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: The US Department of Agriculture defines low income/low access census tracts (LI/LA) – formerly referred to as food deserts – as areas where a significant proportion of the population lives both below the poverty threshold and at a far distance from grocery stores. Given the impact of obesity and nutrition on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the goal of this study is to compare the changes in OSA-related health parameters from the time of diagnosis to one year later between LI/LA residents and non-LI/LA residents.

Methods: A retrospective review of patient records from 2017-2023 from a health care system serving a large geographical area in southern California was conducted. Patients with a new diagnosis of OSA confirmed on polysomnography were included. Patients were determined to be LI/LA residents by searching their home addresses in the USDA Food Access Research Atlas. The differences between one year follow-up and baseline BMI, vitals, and lab work data were calculated and compared between the LI/LA and non-LI/LA groups using students' t tests.

Results: Preliminary results from 5,918 patients – 14.4% LI/LA patients and 85.6% non-LI/LA patients – were collected. Demographic (age, sex, race), baseline health (BMI, HbA1C, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL), and sleep study (apnea-hypopnea index) data did not differ between the cohorts. Among patients with a BMI of 25-40 kg/m^2 (overweight - class II obesity), LI/LA patients had an increase in BMI at one-year follow-up as compared to baseline, while non-LI/LA patients had a slight decrease in BMI (0.48 kg/m^2 vs -0.08 kg/m^2, p = 0.02). No other changes in health parameters over a one-year follow-up period were statistically different between the groups, although multiple trends were recognized.

Conclusions: Weight and nutrition management are crucial for adequate treatment of OSA. The results of this study show that living in a low income/low access area (food desert) may be a barrier to weight loss for overweight and obese patients between BMIs of 25-40. Further research on measures that can enhance weight loss for LI/LA residents after a diagnosis of OSA is needed.

Presenting Author(s)

Nihal A. Punjabi, BS

Medical Student
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Redlands, CA, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Co-Author(s)

WayAnne B. Watson, MD

Resident Physician
Loma Linda University Health, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Loma Linda, CA, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Alexandra Vacaru, BS

Medical Student
Loma Linda University School of Medicine
San Diego, CA, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Roy Qu, MD

Resident Physician
Loma Linda University Health
Loma Linda, California, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Samuel J. Martin, BS

Medical Student
Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Loma Linda, CA, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
EL

Erica Levy-Licorish

Medical Student
Loma Linda University School of Medicine, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Senior Author(s)

JI

Jared C. Inman, MD

Doctor
Loma Linda University Health, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Loma Linda, CA, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.