Evaluation of sleep habits and some related factors on school age children in Bushehr city in 2019

Sleep is one of the basic human needs, has a great role in childrenchr('39')s health. Given the importance and frequency of sleep disorders on health that are often overlooked in children, this study was conducted in order to evaluate sleep habits and some of its related factors in school-aged children in Bushehr city during 2019.

In this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, 403 school-aged children in Bushehr city were studied in 2019. Samples were randomly selected from boys and girls from public and non-governmental schools in each district of Bushehr. Data were collected using a demographic form and a validated childrenchr('39')s sleep habits questionnaire and anthropometric indices.

The mean age of the children was 9.65 ±1.72 years and the mean score of sleep habits was 48.32 ±7.59.Daytime sleepiness was the most common type of sleep disorder. In terms of sleep domains, there was only a significant difference between boys and girls in the two domains of delayed onset of sleep and wakefulness at night. Sleep habits with educational below diplomas father (F =8.650, P <0.001) and mother (F =14.897, P <0.001), also with poor economic status in the family (F =7.227, P =0.001), history of withdrawal (t =2.417, P =0.016) and no separate bedroom for the child (t =-4.801, P <0.001) was related. There was no statistically significant relationship between sleep habits and child gender, educational level and age of the child, job of parents and their age, and growth disorders (P> 0.05).

The results of this study indicate the importance of attention to sleep habits in students, especially in poorly educated families with poor economic status, and information about proper sleep patterns to enhance parental awareness through schools.