Neighborhood environments and sleep among children and adolescents: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Sleep Medicine
• Pediatric Public Health

Background:

• Pediatric sleep is crucial for development and well-being.
• Neighborhood environments are increasingly recognized as potential determinants of child health.
• Systematic reviews on neighborhood influences on pediatric sleep are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review existing literature on the association between neighborhood environments and pediatric sleep.
• To identify key neighborhood exposures and their impact on sleep across different age groups (0-18 years).
• To highlight limitations in current research and suggest future directions.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of 85 articles published between 2003 and 2020.
• Included studies examining neighborhood environments and sleep in children and adolescents.
• Analyzed associations based on neighborhood exposures like socioeconomic status, safety, noise, built environment, and air pollution.

Main Results:

• Low socioeconomic status was associated with adverse sleep outcomes in 58% of studies (shorter duration, later timing, obstructive sleep apnea).
• Neighborhood safety/crime/violence showed strong associations with sleep problems (86% of studies), often caregiver-reported.
• Limited research explored physical environment factors like noise, built environment, and air pollution.

Conclusions:

• Neighborhood socioeconomic status and safety are significant environmental factors influencing pediatric sleep.
• Current evidence is limited by study design, lack of objective sleep measures, and restricted exposure assessment.
• Further research with objective measures and diverse environmental exposures is needed to fully understand these relationships.