[Educational campaign on the sleep of young children]

An educational campaign on sleep of young children was conducted in Vénissieux, a town of 65,000 inhabitants in the suburbs of Lyons, France. The campaign was directed at the parents of 2 to 6 year-old children enrolled in nursery schools (i.e. a population of 3,863 children) and continued over one school year. The main aspects of sleep approached during the campaign were: the importance of sleep for the health of the children, the need for a pleasant and early bedtime, the importance of a nap at home or in school, the danger of a regular drug use to solve sleep disorders. In order to evaluate the effects of the campaign, two studies using questionnaires filled out by the parents were carried out, one before and one after the campaign. Comparisons of the results of the two questionnaires showed several significant positive changes after the campaign: less precocious arising, earlier evening bedtime and improved conditions of bedtime, tendency to increase overall night rest, less sleep disorders, improved conditions favouring nap at school.