• Pooja Puri, Kristie R Ross, Reena Mehra, James C Spilsbury, Hong Li, Carolyn E Levers-Landis, and Carol L Rosen.
• Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonology, Allergy and Sleep Medicine, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital - University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH.
• J Clin Sleep Med. 2016 Jul 15; 12 (7): 959-63.

Study ObjectivesAdherence to positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remains a challenge in children. We hypothesized that the presence of another family member on PAP therapy (parent, sibling, other family member) would be associated with better adherence in the child.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective chart review to identify children < 18 years of age who had a new diagnosis of OSA between Jan 2011 and May 2013. Outcomes were objective PAP adherence at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months. Potential predictors included family member on PAP therapy, patient demographics, and clinical characteristics. Group differences between children with and without a family member on PAP therapy were determined using χ(2) test and Wilcoxon two-sample test. PAP adherence measures at each time point and patterns of change across time between the two groups were examined using mixed-effects models.ResultsThe final analytic sample included 56 children: age 13.2 ± 3.7 years, 60% male, 67% African American, 65% obese, and 32% with developmental disabilities. The mean obstructive apnea-hypopnea index was 25.2 ± 28.7, and 19 (33%) had a family member on PAP therapy. Overall PAP adherence was 2.8 ± 2.4 h/night at 3 months. At month 3, the group with a family member on PAP therapy had significantly greater average nightly PAP use on all nights (3.6 ± 0.6 vs. 2.3 ± 0.39) and on nights used (4.8 ± 0.6 vs. 3.8 ± 0.40); (p value = 0.04).ConclusionsOverall PAP adherence was low, but having a family member on PAP therapy as a "role model" was associated with better adherence.CommentaryA commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 941.© 2016 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

28 keywords...

hide…