OP1.4: Prevalence of Sleep Disordered Breathing (Sdb) And Risk Factors In Malay, Chinese And Indian School Children In Malaysia

Introduction : The prevalence of SDB and contributing risk factors in Malaysian school children is unknown. Aim : To determine the prevalence of parental report of SDB and risk factors among school children aged 6 to 10 years old in three primary schools using the translated University Michigan Paediatric Sleep Questionnaire (UMPSQ). Method : All children whose parents responded to the questionnaire and consented undergone a physical examination documenting height, weight, skin-fold thickness, neck and abdominal circumference, tonsillar size, nostril examination and presence of micrognathia or retrognathia. Results : Data were analysed on a total of 1459 sets of questionnaires. The prevalence of parental reporting of SDB among Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan(SRJK) school children was 15%, Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) 13.7% and Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) 15.7%. Obesity is a risk factor of SDB in all schools. Gender is a risk factor in SRJK and SJKC school children. Increased neck and abdominal circumference, increased skin fold measurements and enlarged tonsils are significant risk factors only in SRJK school children. Conclusion : Different schools representing different ethnicity may have different risk factors of SDB.