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The reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Epworth sleepiness scale

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Abstract

Objective

The Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) is widely used to measure the subject's average sleep propensity across those different situations in daily life, particularly in patients with sleep-disordered breathing. The purposes of this study were to test the hypothesis that the Korean version of the ESS (KESS) is valid and evaluate its usefulness.

Materials and methods

We developed the KESS, which involved translating into Korean and then translating back into English to check its accuracy. A total of 273 participants (181 obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)—37 mild, 61 moderate, 83 severe, 32 simple snoring and 60 normal) were included in this study. All subjects completed the overnight polysomnograph and 53 of the total subjects were randomly selected for a retest with the questionnaire approximately 2∼4 weeks later. The associations between KESS and the degree of OSA were examined through ANCOVA, adjusted for age, sex and BMI.

Results

The total score and each item's score of KESS in patients with OSA were significantly higher than subjects with normal controls (p < 0.01). As the severity of OSA increased, the KESS showed significantly increasing patterns (p for trend <0.01). The KESS in patient groups showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.90) and test–retest reliability (r = 0.78 to 0.93).

Conclusion

The KESS is a reliable and valid tool for screening patients with daytime sleepiness in Korea.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the research promoting grant from the Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center in 2009.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung University School of Medicine, 194, Dongsan-dong, Choon-Gu, Daegu, South Korea

    Yong Won Cho & Joo Hwa Lee

  2. Department of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, CHA Gumi Medical Center, CHA University, Gumi, South Korea

    Hyo Kyung Son

  3. Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea

    Seung Hoon Lee

  4. Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea

    Chol Shin

  5. Sleep Disorders Unit, Epworth Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

    Murray W. Johns

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  1. Yong Won Cho
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  2. Joo Hwa Lee
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  3. Hyo Kyung Son
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  4. Seung Hoon Lee
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  5. Chol Shin
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  6. Murray W. Johns
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yong Won Cho.

Appendix 1. The Korean version of the Epworth sleepiness scale

Appendix 1. The Korean version of the Epworth sleepiness scale

A. Korean version of the Epworth sleepiness scale (English)

figure a

B. Korean version of the Epworth sleepiness scale (Korean)

figure b

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Cho, Y.W., Lee, J.H., Son, H.K. et al. The reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Epworth sleepiness scale. Sleep Breath 15, 377–384 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-010-0343-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-010-0343-6

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