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Influence of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on sleep habits in a pediatric population

Sara Completo1, Andreia Fiúza Ribeiro1, Ana Rute Manuel1

  • 1Hospital Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca, E.P.E., Pediatric Service, Child and Youth Department - Amadora - Amadora - Portugal.

Sleep Science (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
|April 4, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Children

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Child Psychology
  • Public Health during Pandemics

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns significantly altered daily routines for children globally.
  • Understanding the impact of these changes on pediatric sleep is crucial for maintaining child well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess modifications in children's sleep habits and patterns during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
  • To compare sleep changes between children during lockdown and a pre-lockdown control group.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective, cross-sectional study conducted in a pediatric hospital setting.
  • Utilized questionnaires distributed from June to August 2020 to assess sleep quality, patterns, and lockdown-related modifications.
  • Compared data with a control sample from 2019, employing statistical analysis (SPSS Statistics23).

Main Results:

  • Over half of children (55.6%) reported changes in sleep patterns during lockdown.
  • A significant increase in total sleep hours was observed in school-aged children and adolescents (p=0.05, p=0.03 respectively).
  • Screen time significantly increased (p=0.02), particularly after dinner (p=0.04), without negatively impacting subjective sleep quality.

Conclusions:

  • COVID-19 lockdown frequently led to altered sleep patterns and increased screen time in children.
  • Despite these changes, subjective sleep quality and the incidence of sleep disturbances remained unaffected.
  • Highlights the resilience of pediatric sleep patterns to environmental changes, though screen use warrants attention.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19 PandemicElectronic DevicesLockdownSARS-CoV-2Sleep Habits

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