Parental knowledge and beliefs about sleep health for children with overweight and obesity

Abstract

Objective

To examine parental knowledge and beliefs about sleep health and their relation to sleep practices in a community sample of school-age children with overweight and obesity.

Methods

Sleep in 246 overweight or obese children was assessed objectively using actigraphy. Parents completed a questionnaire about their knowledge and beliefs about sleep health and the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Multivariate linear regression models were performed to predict CSHQ sleep disturbance scores and actigraphy-derived sleep characteristics in children.

Results

On average, parents answered 6.19 of the 10 sleep health questions correctly. Questions concerning child sleep needs and bedtime routines had the most incorrect responses ranging from 45.9% to 84.5%. Although up to 244 (99.2%) children obtained less than the recommended 9 hours of daily sleep and 208 (84.6%) children had clinically significant CSHQ sleep disturbance scores, only 12.6% of parents believed that their child slept too little and only 9.3% of parents believed that their child had inadequate sleep habits. Increased levels of parental sleep knowledge were associated with earlier sleep onset, and stronger parental beliefs about children’s sleep health predicted earlier sleep onset and offset, longer sleep duration, and lower CSHQ sleep disturbance scores in children (all p < .05).

Conclusions

Parents’ knowledge gaps and misconceptions about sleep health are associated with poorer and shorter sleep duration in children with overweight and obesity. Healthcare professionals should provide parents with sleep-related education and address parents’ inaccurate beliefs about sleep health, particularly regarding consistent bedtime routine and recommended sleep duration for children.