Sleep Problems Under-Reported by Parents in Iranian Children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric sleep medicine
• Child health outcomes
• Parental awareness of child health

Background:

• Sleep problems are prevalent in childhood, yet data on Iranian children and parental awareness is limited.
• Childhood sleep disorders can have significant adverse effects on development and well-being.
• Underreporting of sleep issues during pediatric visits may lead to delayed diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the prevalence of sleep problems in Iranian children aged 2-14 years.
• To determine if sleep problems are under-reported by parents during general pediatric visits.
• To investigate parental awareness regarding their child's sleep issues.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study conducted from April 2010 to April 2011 involving 301 children.
• Parents answered a general question about sleep problems, followed by the Persian version of the BEARS questionnaire.
• Data collected from children attending sick visits or routine growth control appointments.

Main Results:

• Only 9.9% of parents initially reported sleep problems, but the BEARS questionnaire revealed 45.18% of children had sleep disorders.
• The most frequent complaints were bedtime problems (15.28%) and nighttime awakenings (11.96%).
• No significant association was found between sleep problems and child gender; 55.48% of children co-slept with parents.

Conclusions:

• A significant gap exists between the actual prevalence of childhood sleep disorders and parental reporting during pediatric consultations.
• Pediatric health screening and monitoring visits present an opportunity to proactively assess for sleep disorders.
• Implementing routine sleep disorder assessments in pediatric care is recommended for early detection and intervention in Iranian children.