The Association Between Sleep and Home Accidents Among Preschool Children in Türkiye: A Case-Control Study

Both home accidents and sleep problems are prevalent health issues among young children. This study aimed to investigate the association between the sleep characteristics of both preschool children and their mothers and the occurrence of home accidents among children.

In this analytical cross-sectional study, the home accident group consisted of 90 children who presented to the Mersin University Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department due to home accidents. The control group comprised 90 healthy children, matched for age and sex with the home accident group. Sleep patterns of both children aged 12-72 months and their mothers, as primary caregivers, were evaluated through face-to-face interviews with the mothers.

Each one-hour increase in the child's total nocturnal sleep duration increased the risk of being in the home accident group by 1.63 times (95% CI: 1.19-2.21, p = 0.002). Conversely, each one-hour increase in the mother's total nocturnal sleep duration reduced the risk of child home accidents by a factor of 0.72 (95% CI: 0.58-0.91, p = 0.006). Maternal excessive daytime sleepiness increased the risk of home accidents in children by 11.35 times (95% CI: 2.38-54.26, p = 0.002).

Preschool children who have had home accidents and their mothers should be evaluated for sleep problems. To reduce the frequency and severity of injuries associated with home accidents, greater focus must be placed on improving the sleep hygiene of both children and their mothers.