Association between sleep disorders on children, sociodemographic factors and the sleep of caregivers

Abstract

Aim: To analyze the association between children's sleep disorders, sociodemographic factors, and caregivers' sleep. Method: An Epidemiological, cross-sectional, analytical study, with a quantitative approach, was carried out in two public schools in the Northeast of Brazil. The participants were 222 students, aged between 6 and 11 years old, and 123 caregivers. The Sleep Disturbance Scale in Children was used for the children’s evaluations. The caregivers' sleep was analyzed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Results: Regarding the sleep disorders in children, 60.8% had good sleep quality. Most of them had an adequate number of sleep hours, studied in the afternoon, spent less than two hours in front of screens, and had no reports of illnesses. There was a significant relationship between those caregivers outside the home and the children with an adequate number of hours of sleep. Children with poor sleep quality had a predominance of enuresis. There was an association between good quality of sleep and physical activity during free time and the acceptance of school meals. Children with good sleep quality predominated seemed to be the ones in the care of caregivers who did not present excessive daytime sleepiness and reports of illnesses. Conclusion: The data found suggest the need to conduct new strategies that can promote more quality to children's sleep, with caregivers and the pre-school educational community.