Gender Differences in Prevalence of Sleepy Driving Among Young Drivers in Saudi Arabia

Yousef D Alqurashi; Abdullah S Alqarni; Faisal Maher Albukhamsin; Abdullah Abdulaziz Alfaris; Bader Ibrahim Alhassan; Waleed Khalid Ghazwani; Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Altammar; Mutlaq Eid Aleid; Hayfa Almutary; Abdulelah M Aldhahir; Saleh A Alessy; Rayyan Almusally; Abir Alsaid; Mahmoud Ibrahim Mahmoud; Hatem Othman Qutub; Tunny Sebastian; Suliman Alghnam; Michael I Polkey

doi:10.2147/NSS.S439161

Gender Differences in Prevalence of Sleepy Driving Among Young Drivers in Saudi Arabia

Nat Sci Sleep. 2024 Feb 1:16:53-62. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S439161. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Yousef D Alqurashi¹, Abdullah S Alqarni¹, Faisal Maher Albukhamsin¹, Abdullah Abdulaziz Alfaris¹, Bader Ibrahim Alhassan¹, Waleed Khalid Ghazwani¹, Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Altammar¹, Mutlaq Eid Aleid¹, Hayfa Almutary², Abdulelah M Aldhahir³, Saleh A Alessy⁴, Rayyan Almusally⁵, Abir Alsaid⁵, Mahmoud Ibrahim Mahmoud⁵, Hatem Othman Qutub⁵, Tunny Sebastian⁶, Suliman Alghnam⁷, Michael I Polkey⁸

Affiliations

¹ Respiratory Care Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
² Medical Surgical Nursing Department, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Respiratory Therapy Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Internal Medicine Department, King Fahd Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Clinical Nutrition Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Population Health Section-King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Royal Brompton Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

Abstract

Introduction: Sleepy driving is associated with Motor Vehicles Accidents (MVAs). In Saudi Arabia, previous studies have addressed this association among men only. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of sleepy driving and associated factors between genders.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study design, we offered a self-administered online questionnaire to 3272 participants from different regions of Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included 46 questions covering sociodemographics, driving habits, sleeping habits, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and Berlin questionnaire to assess the risk of sleep apnea. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to determine the significant factors associated with self-reported sleepy driving, defined as operating a motor vehicle while feeling sleepy in the preceding six months.

Results: Of the 3272 invitees, 2958 (90%) completed the questionnaire, of which 1414 (48%) were women. The prevalence of sleepy driving in the preceding six months was 42% (men: 50% and women 32%, p<0.001). Specifically, participants reported the following: 12% had had to stop their vehicle due to sleepiness (men: 16.2% and women 7%, p<0.001), 12.4% reported near-miss accidents (men: 16.2% and women: 8.2%, p<0.001) and 4.2% reported an accident due to sleepiness (men: 4.3% and women: 4%, p=0.645). In multivariable analysis, being male, younger age, use of any type of medications, shift working, working more than 12 hours per day, driving duration of 3-5 hours per day, driving experience of more than 2 years, excessive daytime sleepiness and risk of having obstructive sleep apnea were all associated with increased likelihood of falling asleep while driving in the preceding 6 months.

Conclusion: Sleepy driving and MVA are prevalent in both gender but was higher in men. Future public health initiatives should particularly focus on men, since men reported a greater likelihood of both sleep-related MVA and "near miss" events.

Keywords: OSA; driving; gender differences; obstructive sleep apnea; sleepiness.