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Updated: Jun 16, 2026
07:40
Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
Diverse Caregiver Perspectives on Sleep Health in School-aged Children: A Mixed-methods Study
Grace Wang1, Jessica Page1,2, Rebecca Robbins3,4
1Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.
Summary
Many caregivers of school-aged children hold misconceptions about sleep health. Integrating sleep education into routine pediatric care is crucial for improving child sleep and well-being.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Health
- Caregiver Education
- Community Health
Background:
- Sleep is vital for school-aged children's development and well-being.
- Caregivers play a key role in establishing healthy sleep habits.
- Understanding caregiver knowledge gaps is essential for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sleep health knowledge, attitudes, and experiences among diverse caregivers of school-aged children.
- To identify misconceptions and challenges related to child sleep health.
- To inform clinical practice and educational resource development.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods approach combining surveys (n=19) and semistructured interviews (n=21) with caregivers.
- Descriptive statistics and Fisher exact tests for survey data.
- Constant comparative analysis for qualitative interview data.
Main Results:
- Significant caregiver misconceptions identified, including inadequate sleep duration recommendations (95% believe 8 hours is sufficient) and ineffective sleep strategies (84% suggest moving bedtime earlier for sleep onset difficulties).
- Four key caregiver themes emerged: perceptions of child sleep, experiences in primary care, information-seeking behaviors, and perceived needs for sleep support resources.
- Qualitative data revealed varied caregiver experiences and information-seeking challenges.
Conclusions:
- Healthcare providers should proactively integrate sleep health education into routine pediatric visits.
- Development of culturally sensitive and accessible sleep health educational materials for diverse caregivers is necessary.
- Addressing caregiver knowledge gaps can improve child sleep health outcomes.
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