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Secular trends of sleep-wake patterns in Hong Kong preschoolers

Qiu-Ye Lan1, Kate Ching-Ching Chan2, Chun-Ting Au2

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Sleep Medicine
|March 10, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Hong Kong preschool children are sleeping less, with a significant increase in sleep duration deficit observed between 2012 and 2018. Public health initiatives are crucial to address this downward trend in children's sleep duration.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Public Health Research
  • Child Development Studies

Background:

  • Preschool children's sleep patterns are crucial for healthy development.
  • Understanding secular trends in sleep is vital for public health interventions.
  • Previous research indicates potential shifts in pediatric sleep habits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate secular trends in sleep-wake patterns among Hong Kong preschool children.
  • To identify risk factors associated with insufficient sleep duration in this population.
  • To compare sleep data from 2012 and 2018 surveys.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional sleep survey conducted in 2012 and 2018 involving kindergartens across Hong Kong.
  • Parent-completed questionnaires gathered data on socioeconomic status, children's sleep-wake patterns, and parental sleep.
  • Statistical analysis explored secular trends and risk factors for short sleep duration.

Main Results:

  • A higher percentage of children in 2018 (41.1%) did not meet recommended sleep durations compared to 2012 (26.7%).
  • Mean sleep duration decreased by 13 minutes on weekdays and 18 minutes on weekends between the survey years.
  • Sleep onset latency increased significantly on both weekdays and weekends, indicating longer times to fall asleep.

Conclusions:

  • A significant proportion of Hong Kong preschool children experience insufficient sleep.
  • A clear downward secular trend in sleep duration was observed from 2012 to 2018.
  • Public health strategies to improve preschool children's sleep duration are urgently needed.
Abstract

Keywords:
Preschool childrenSecular trendsSleep durationSleep-wake patterns

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