Managing obstructive sleep apnoea and achieving equity: implications for health services.

Sleep occupies a third of life, and poor sleep has wide-ranging consequences for health, safety, and well-being. Recent research suggests significant inequalities in sleep health between Māori and non-Māori adults in New Zealand including self-reported sleeping problems and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS). This paper will outline a series of studies that were designed to assess how many people were affected by OSAS in Aotearoa/New Zealand and specifically sought to prioritise the needs of Māori. It will discuss a number of issues related to the diagnosis and treatment of OSAS in New Zealand and present strategies for reducing inequalities in sleep health.