Associations of early life and childhood risk factors with obstructive sleep apnoea in middle-age

Abstract

Background and Objective: Early-life risk factors for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are poorly described, yet this knowledge may be critical to inform preventive strategies. We conducted the first study to investigate the association between early-life risk factors and OSA in middle-aged adults. Methods: Data were from population-based Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study cohort (n = 3550) followed from 1st to 6th decades of life. Potentially relevant childhood exposures were available from a parent-completed survey at age 7-years, along with previously characterized risk factor profiles. Information on the primary outcome, probable OSA (based on a STOP-Bang questionnaire cut-off ≥5), were c..