Association between physical activity and sleep disorders in Peruvian schoolchildren: A cross-sectional study

Physical activity and sleep are key determinants of child health, yet evidence from low- and middle-income settings remains limited. We examined the association between physical activity and sleep disorders in Peruvian schoolchildren.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 81 children aged 9-12 years from a public school in Callao, Peru (2024). Physical activity was assessed with the Assessment of Physical Activity Levels in Children Questionnaire (APALQ), and sleep disorders with the Tucson Children's Assessment of Sleep Apnea Questionnaire (TuCASA). Given non-normal distributions, associations between total and dimensional activity scores and TuCASA scores were tested using Spearman's rank correlation.

Most participants showed some degree of sleep disturbance; 45.7 % had mild and 17.3 % moderate sleep disorders, while 37.0 % were normal. Regarding activity, 32.1 % were sedentary, 45.7 % moderately active, and 22.2 % very active. Total physical activity was strongly and inversely correlated with sleep disorder scores (ρ = -0.752, p < 0.001). All dimensions type, frequency, duration, and intensity also showed significant inverse correlations with TuCASA scores (all p < 0.001).

Higher physical activity is consistently linked with fewer sleep problems in schoolchildren. Findings support school-based strategies that integrate movement behaviors with sleep health promotion in resource-limited contexts.