Ethical and Policy Implications of Racial and Ethnic Healthcare Disparities in Sleep Health

Abstract

Despite efforts in recent years, including in policy and research, to address health disparities in the United States, many of those disparities continue to fester in marginalized racial/ethnic populations. Understanding sleep health disparities is critical in understanding the health and wellness of these groups. Using obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in Black populations as a focus, this paper presents the role of race and ethnicity in the clinical understanding of sleep health-related issues by medical practitioners and the implications of the lack of clear policies or best practices to guide medical practitioners’ attempts to meet sleep-related needs of marginalized racial/ethnic populations. Furthermore, the knowledge gap may be further complicated by the poor understanding and integration of existing evidence with the many, complex, sleep-associated co-morbidities. Policymaking in this area ought to be based on the ethical implications of disparate sleep-related health outcomes by race and ethnicity. So, we conclude by offering recommendations for developing ethically sound policies for addressing sleep problems in marginalized racial and ethnic populations.