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Epidemiological study of sleep characteristics in Chinese children 1-23 months of age
Fan Jiang1, Xiaoming Shen, Chonghuai Yan
1Department of Pediatric Development and Behavior, School of Medicine Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai, China.
Insights
Chinese young children experience more sleep problems and less total sleep time (TST) compared to Western children. Cultural factors, like co-sleeping, may contribute to these differences in sleep habits.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Cross-Cultural Child Development
- Public Health
Background:
- Sleep is crucial for child development, with cultural influences being particularly significant in early childhood.
- Understanding cultural variations in sleep is essential for addressing developmental needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sleep patterns, prevalence of sleep problems, and co-sleeping habits in young children from Shanghai.
- To compare sleep data with Western populations.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study design was employed.
- Parental self-report data were collected from 1129 children aged 1-23 months.
- Participants were randomly selected from five districts in Shanghai, China.
Main Results:
- Chinese children exhibited lower total sleep time (TST) than Western children.
- A high prevalence of sleep problems (65.97%) was observed, exceeding Western rates.
- Sleep problems were linked to perinatal and behavioral factors. Bed sharing increased with age, from 44.07% at 1 month to 71.51% at 23 months.
Conclusions:
- Sleep problems have diverse behavioral and health origins across cultures.
- Reduced TST in Chinese children may be influenced by unique cultural factors, including co-sleeping and child-rearing practices.
Background:
Sleep plays a critical role in normal development and the effects of culture upon sleep are especially important in young children. The purpose of the present paper was to determine the sleep times and the prevalence of sleep problems and co-sleeping in children from Shanghai.
Methods:
A cross-sectional design incorporating parental self-report was used to investigate the sleep-related habits of 1129 children, 1-23 months of age, randomly selected from the five districts of Shanghai, China.
Results:
The total sleep time (TST) of Chinese young children was less than that reported in Western populations, and the prevalence of sleep problems (65.97%) was higher than that for Western children. The sleep problems of children were significantly related to perinatal factors and certain behavior problems. The rate of bed sharing did not differ between boys and girls but significantly increased with age from 44.07% in 1-month-olds to 71.51% in 23-month-olds.
Conclusions:
Sleep problems that cross cultures result from a variety of behavioral and health problems. Nevertheless, it is speculated that reduced TST in Chinese children may be related to factors unique to China, such as co-sleeping and child-rearing practices.
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