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Sleep duration and its correlates in a sample of Saudi elementary school children
A BaHammam1, A Bin Saeed, E Al-Faris
1Sleep Disorders Centre, College of Medicine, King Saud University, PO Box 225503, Riyadh 11324, Saudi Arabia. ashammam2@yahoo.com
Insights
Saudi elementary school children experience shorter nighttime sleep durations. Factors like mother's education, daytime naps, and screen time significantly impact sleep in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Public Health
- Child Development
Background:
- Sleep duration is crucial for children's health and development.
- Understanding sleep patterns in specific populations is essential for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate sleep duration in Saudi elementary school children.
- To identify sleep habits and practices affecting sleep duration.
- To compare findings with international data on childhood sleep.
Main Methods:
- Survey of parents of elementary school children.
- Data collection on bedtime, rise time, and nap duration (weekdays/weekends).
- Questionnaire on demographics, sleep problems, habits, and home environment.
Main Results:
- Weekday total sleep time (TST) averaged 8.4 hours; TST with naps was 9.98 hours.
- Multivariate analysis indicated TST was influenced by bedtime regularity, mother's education, naps, TV, and computer game habits.
- Study included 1012 children (50.5% boys, 49.5% girls).
Conclusions:
- Saudi school children exhibit shorter nighttime sleep duration compared to international benchmarks.
- Key factors influencing sleep duration include maternal education, daytime napping, and evening screen time (TV/computer games).
Introduction:
This study was conducted to estimate sleep duration in Saudi elementary school children, sleep habits and practices that may affect it, and compare our results to published data in other societies.
Methods:
Parents of elementary school children were surveyed regarding their children's bedtime, rise time, sleep duration at night and daytime nap duration during weekdays and weekends. A questionnaire inquiring about demographical data, specific sleep problems and habits, and home environment was completed by the parents.
Results:
The study comprised 511 (50.5 percent) boys and 501 (49.5 percent) girls. During weekdays, bedtime for the whole group was 21.3 +/- 1.8 hours, rise time was 5.9 +/- 0.5 hours, total sleep time (TST) was 8.4 +/- 1.1 hours, and TST and nap was 9.98 +/- 1.3 hours. Multivariate analysis revealed that TST was affected by regularity of bedtime, mother's level of education, daytime naps, and the habits of watching television (TV) and playing computer games after 20.00 hours.
Conclusion:
Nighttime sleep duration is shorter in Saudi school children compared to published data. Several factors appeared to affect sleep duration, including mother's educational level, daytime naps and watching TV at night.