Short Sleep Duration in School-Age Children: Differential Factors on Weekdays and Weekends.

Abstract

Objectives: To quantify school-age children's sleep and parent-associated factors on weekdays and weekends in Singapore, and investigate school-related and parent-related factors associated with short sleep.

Methods: In an online survey, 251 parents with a child aged 7-12 y in Singapore reported their child's sleep duration and school start time. Parent-related factors including sleep hygiene (e.g., parent-set bedtime), sleep priority (the amount of sleep respondents allowed their children to trade for other activities), and both parents' sleep durations, were also reported.

Results: The prevalence of short sleep among the children was 64.5% on weekdays and 19.5% on weekends. Children's sleep duration increased from 8.42 h on weekdays to 9.45 h on weekends (p < .001). Relative to weekdays, on weekends, parents showed similar increases in sleep durations (p < .001), imposed poorer sleep hygiene on their children (reduced likelihood of setting bedtimes and increased pre-bedtime electronic device use; p < .001), and allowed their children to trade more sleep for interacting with family and friends, social media, gaming, and TV / videos (p < .001). Shorter sleep duration in children was significantly associated with earlier school start time (B = 0.80, p = .02) and poorer sleep hygiene on weekdays (B = 0.16, p < .001), but lower sleep priority (B = 0.05, p = .002) and shorter parental sleep duration on weekends (maternal: B = 0.18, p < .001, paternal: B = 0.17, p = .002).

Conclusions: Delaying school start times may be effective in increasing school-age children's sleep duration on weekdays, while family-based interventions designed to enhance sleep hygiene, priority of sleep over other activities, and parents' sleep durations can benefit children's sleep duration on both weekdays and weekends.