Private schools: 20 per cent students have sleep disorder

New Delhi: Around 15 to 20 per cent of the students in private schools of Delhi are suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), in comparison to only two per cent of students in government schools, revealed an ongoing study by AIIMS.

The study is being funded by the Department of Science and Technology and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). In the first phase of the study, which has been completed, over 7,000 were students in the 10-17 age group were screened.

According to AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria, the institute was doing a study whose findings were dramatic, shocking and revealed that in government schools, students hardly suffered from OSA.

“In private or public schools, however, we found high prevalence of OSA among students. It is an ongoing study, and after completion of the first phase, we can anticipate what the result will be after the completion of the study,” said Dr Guleria. Sleep apnea occurs due to recurrent episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep, which is caused by elevations in upper airway collapsibility during, explained Dr Guleria. Experts claimed that several risk factors including obesity, male sex, age, and hereditary factors, have been associated with an increased prevalence of OSA among masses.

Dr Guleria said that as of now, the first phase study had been conducted in 13-14 schools including Father Agnel School, Delhi Public School R.K Puram and others including government schools. Talking about challenges faced during the study, Dr Guleria said that several parents refused to get their children screened claiming they did not have any problem. Explaining the reason behind high prevalence, Dr Guleria said, “Students in private schools have a poor diet and lifestyle in comparison to their counterparts in government schools. Data also shows that government school students have more physical activities such as walking daily to school.”