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Published on: October 2, 2019
Sleep Problems among Pre-School Children in Qazvin, Iran
Maryam Javadi1, Amir Javadi1, Naser Kalantari2
1Children Growth and Development Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, PO Box 3415914595, Iran.
Insights
Iranian preschool children commonly experience sleep issues, including late bedtimes and daytime sleepiness. These sleep problems, along with snoring and night awakenings, were prevalent in the study group.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Child Health Epidemiology
Background:
- Sleep problems are a significant concern for families with preschool-aged children.
- Evaluating sleep issues in this demographic is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence and types of sleep problems in preschool children in Iran.
- To identify common sleep-related issues affecting children aged 3-6 years.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 579 children aged 3-6 years in Qazvin, Iran.
- Utilized the Iranian version of the BEARS (Bedtime problems, Excessive daytime sleepiness, Awakenings during the night, Regularity and duration of sleep, Snoring) and the Children's Sleep Habits questionnaire (CSHQ).
- Data analyzed using Student's t-test, chi-square, and Fisher's exact tests.
Main Results:
- The study included 299 boys (51.6%) and 280 girls (48.3%) with a mean age of 4.1 years.
- Prevalent issues included late bedtimes (23:18), early wake times (09:26), and significant sleep duration (10:54).
- Daytime sleepiness affected 6.9%, midnight awakenings 13.9%, and sleep-disordered breathing/snoring were reported in 1.2% and 2.7% respectively. Room sharing with parents was common (87%).
Conclusions:
- Preschool children in Iran exhibit various sleep problems, such as delayed sleep onset, daytime sleepiness, and snoring.
- Midnight awakenings and sleep-disordered breathing were also noted among the participants.
- High prevalence of room sharing with parents was observed.
Background:
Sleep problems are one of the main health issues raised by families. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the sleep problems of pre-school children in Iran.
Methods:
Five hundred and seventy-nine children aged 3-6 years were randomly recruited from 15 kindergartens in the city of Qazvin in Iran. The Iranian version of BEARS (Bedtime problems, Excessive daytime sleepiness, Awakenings during the night, Regularity and duration of sleep and Snoring) and the Children's Sleep Habits questionnaire (CSHQ) were completed by interviewers. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 19. The data were analysed with a Student's t-test, chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. A P value < 0.05 was considered significant.
Results:
The study population consisted of 299 boys (51.6%) and 280 (48.3%) girls with a mean age of 4.1 years (SD 0.8). The mean body mass index (BMI) of the children was 15 (SD 2.1). The average sleep duration among the children was 10:54 h/day (SD 00:48). They went to bed late (23:18 h SD 00:48) and woke early (09:26 h; SD 01:00). Daytime sleepiness was reported by 6.9% of the participants. The incidence of awakening during the night, sleep-disordered breathing and snoring was 13.9%, 1.2% and 2.7%, respectively. Most of the children shared a room with their parents (87%) (P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
The children had sleep-related problems, including a late bedtime, delayed sleep onset, daytime sleepiness, midnight awakening, sleep-disordered breathing, and snoring. Sharing a room was very common among the Iranian children.
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