Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.,
Volume 160, Number 6, December 1999, 1812-1815
Correlates of the "Don't Know" Response to
Questions about Snoring
DONALD L.
BLIWISE,
GARY E.
SWAN,
DORIT
CARMELLI,
and
ASENATH
LA RUE
Sleep Disorders Center, Emory University Medical School, Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia; Center for
Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of
California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Many persons say that they "don't know" whether they snore. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and correlates of such responses in an elderly population. Subjects were
1715 members (1,155 men, 560 women) of a previously defined cohort (Western Group Collaborative
Study) followed prospectively since 1960-1961 with a current mean age of 75.9 (SD = 4.3) for the
men and 71.4 (SD = 5.3) for the women. We collected survey questionnaires and reviewed medical
records. Results indicated that risk factors for the "don't know" response in this population were similar to those for frequent snoring and included: male sex, higher Body Mass Index, smoking, and use
of sinus medication. Between 28 and 44% of the cohort answered questions about snoring with a
"don't know" response. These data are compatible with the interpretation that subjects may disavow knowledge of their own snoring and suggest that future studies consider the "don't know" response to questions about snoring as a response of potential interest. Bliwise DL, Swan GE, Carmelli D, La Rue A. Correlates of the "don't know" response to questions about snoring.
