Prevalence of sleep problems and habits in a sample of Saudi primary school children

Abstract

BACKGROUNDSleep problems in children vary not only with age, but also with ethnic and sociocultural background. No research has been conducted to assess sleep problems in Saudi elementary school children. This study surveyed parents (or guardians) about their elementary school children’s sleep to assess the prevalence of certain sleep problems.METHODSThe study population comprised boys and girls attending regular public elementary schools in all grades and was conducted during springtime of the year 1999. A questionnaire inquiring about demographic data, specific sleep problems and habits and home environment was distributed and completed by the parents or guardians.RESULTSA total of 1012 complete questionnaires were included in the analysis. The sample comprised 511 boys (50.5%) and 501 girls (49.5%). The mean age was 9.5±1.9 years, ranging from 5 to 13 years. Daytime fatigue was the most prevalent sleep problem (37.5%) followed by bedtime resistance (26.2%), difficulty rising in the morning during weekdays (20.7%), and sleep-onset delay (11.8%). Cosleeping with parents was reported in 12.4% of children. The study revealed some differences between boys and girls. Napping during the daytime was reported in 40.8% of children.CONCLUSIONThe study showed that sleep problems are prevalent among Saudi elementary school children. Moreover, the study shed some light on sleep habits and practices in this age group in Saudi Arabia, like the high prevalence of daytime napping.

Time in Bed, Sleep Sufficiency and Emotional and Behavioral Problems in a General Population of 10-12 Year Old Children

“…Few studies have earlier controlled for the effect of puberty and studies adequately controlling for confounding variables are called for [17]. Gender [10], socioeco-nomic status [12,13] and puberty [16,30] are factors that can influence both sleep and emotional and behavioral functioning. It has to be noted that although time in bed and insufficient sleep were significantly associated with some symptoms of emotional and behavioral problems, after accounting for shared risk factors, the variance accounted for by emotional and behavioral problems was small; 1.1% for time in bed and 5.7% for sleep sufficiency.…”

“…Also low socioeconomic status has been associated with short sleep duration [12,13]. The onset of puberty involves changes at multiple levels and is one factor thatinfluences both sleep and emotional and behavioral problems, however few studies have controlled for this factor.…”

“…Girls have been found to sleep longer in adolescence [10], while there are no *Address correspondence to this author at the Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Welfare, Uni Health, Uni Research, Norway; Tel: +47 5558 3133; Fax: +47 5558 8379; E-mail:Hedvik.Fosse@uni.no gender difference in sleep patterns in prepubertal children [11]. Also low socioeconomic status has been associated with short sleep duration [12,13]. The onset of puberty involves changes at multiple levels and is one factor thatinfluences both sleep and emotional and behavioral problems, however few studies have controlled for this factor.…”

Sleep Medicine in Saudi Arabia

“…12 Wide variations in the reported prevalence of snoring in children have been shown in previously published studies in different parts of the world, ranging from 1.5% to 34.5%. 11,13 Observed differences in reported snoring prevalence may be due to variations in snoring definitions, questionnaires used to elicit the results, and prevalence of obesity in Saudi elementary school children. 11,12,14 The estimated prevalence of narcolepsy with cataplexy in Saudis is 40 per 100,000 people, 15,16 which is within the range reported in other studies that showed the prevalence of narcolepsy with cataplexy to fall between 25 and 50 per 100,000 people.…”

Good and Bad Sleep in Childhood: A Questionnaire Survey amongst School Children in Southern Italy

“…Despite a number of surveys in children and adolescents reporting a high prevalence of sleep problems, such as night awakenings [14], nightmares [14], nocturnal enuresis [15], and sleep-onset delay [16], the question of the global subjective perception of sleep quality in childhood has been almost totally neglected. Indeed, only one study on 449 toddlers has directly assessed sleep satisfaction in this population, by means of a question on their global sleep quality perception [17].…”