1 | INTRODUCTION
Snoring is the most important and common manifestation of obstructive
sleep apnea (OSA), which causes hypoxemia and hypercapnia from partial
or complete obstruction of the upper airway during
sleep1. Habitual snoring (HS), a prominent symptom of
sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), is usually defined as the presence of
loud snoring at least three nights per week2,3.
Globally, HS is relatively common and has been reported in 2.4–45.6%
of children2-4.
Recent research suggests that HS, even in the absence of OSA, is
associated with cognitive, behavioral, and various psychosocial
problems5,6. The clinical importance of HS as a
potential marker of morbidity for OSA is increasingly recognized.
Therefore, it is especially important to identify the multidimensional
risk factors for HS among children, including age, obesity, exposure to
respiratory infections, exposure to cigarette smoke, allergic rhinitis
(AR), asthma, family history of snoring, prematurity, breastfeeding,
living environment, and socioeconomic status. As such, using a large,
population-based sample, we aimed to identify predisposing factors for
HS, among the currently identified potential risk factors, in children
of Chengdu.