SLEEP QUALITY OF SCHOOLCHILDREN - RESIDENTS OF RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED AREAS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Sleep Medicine
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated widespread quarantine measures, significantly altering daily routines for schoolchildren.
• Disruptions to sleep patterns in children can have long-term health and developmental consequences.
• Understanding sleep characteristics during such unprecedented public health crises is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the sleep characteristics of middle school children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To identify factors associated with sleep disturbances and insomnia in this population.
• To evaluate the impact of quarantine restrictions on children's sleep quality and duration.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 96 middle school students (aged 10-16) from Zhytomyr and Rivne regions.
• Participants experienced home isolation from March to June 2020 due to COVID-19 quarantine.
• Sleep characteristics were evaluated using the Ukrainian version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-U).

Main Results:

• A moderately increased total PSQI-U score (3.89 ± 3.20) indicated disturbed sleep.
• 19.79% of children reported insufficient sleep time, and 2.08% experienced significant sleep deprivation.
• 32.29% described their sleep as 'rather bad,' and 4.17% as 'very bad,' with 35.42% reporting sleep disturbances and 18.75% showing insomnia symptoms.

Conclusions:

• COVID-19 quarantine measures negatively impacted schoolchildren's sleep routines and characteristics.
• Nearly one-third of children experienced insufficient night sleep duration and quality, hindering physiological recovery.
• Late sleep onset and poor sleep hygiene critically affected sleep indicators, with female gender, perceived pandemic impact, and urban living being significant predictors of insomnia.