Prevalence of habitual snoring and its correlates in young children across the Asia Pacific

Aims To evaluate: (i) the prevalence of habitual snoring (HS) in a large sample of children aged from birth to 36 months in 14 countries across Asia Pacific; and (ii) the different correlates associated with HS in Caucasians, Chinese and non-Chinese, non-Caucasian Asians. Methods This was a multi-centre, cross-sectional survey conducted across Asia Pacific. Parents/caregivers of 23 481 infants and toddlers completed an expanded version of the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire. We defined HS as snoring more than three nights per week. Results Chinese and non-Caucasian non-Chinese (NCNC) children had a lower prevalence of HS across the age range from birth to 3 years than their Caucasian counterparts (6.2% and 5.1% vs. 11%, P < 0.01). Boys had a higher prevalence of HS compared to girls (χ2 = 98.5, P < 0.0001). History of prematurity (OR = 1.37–1.56, CI (1.1–2.17), P < 0.01) and gender (OR = 1.53–1.54, CI (1.26–1.85), P < 0.0001) were found to be significant predictors for HS. Current breastfeeding (OR = 0.69, CI (0.54–0.88), P < 0.005) and greater parental age (OR = 0.86, CI (0.78–0.96), P < 0.01) were protective against HS among NCNC children. HS was less prevalent in younger Chinese subjects (OR = 0.88, CI (0.84–0.93), P < 0.0001). In Caucasians, parents' education (OR = 0.78, CI (0.67–0.91), P < 0.005) and their not sleeping in the same room as their child (OR = 0.62, CI (0.45–0.86), P < 0.005) were negatively associated with parental report of HS. Conclusions Prevalence of HS shows racial differences among countries across Asia Pacific. Future studies should assess craniofacial structure and body fat distribution as contributory factors for this differential prevalence.