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A comparison of sleeping problems in school‐age children between rural and urban communities in China
Author(s) -
Yang QiaoZhi,
Bu YueQing,
Dong ShengYing,
Fan ShuShan,
Wang LeXin
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2009.01530.x
Subject(s) - medicine , demography , residence , rural area , logistic regression , china , cohort , pediatrics , sleep (system call) , geography , archaeology , pathology , sociology , computer science , operating system
Aim: To investigate differences in sleeping behaviours in school‐age children between urban and rural Chinese communities. Methods: Children aged between 6 and 12 years old were selected from rural ( n = 472) and urban communities ( n = 576). Children's sleep habits questionnaire was completed by the parents to assess sleep patterns and sleep problems of the children. Results: In the 6–8 and 9–12 years groups, the average sleep time in urban children was shorter than in the children from rural areas (9.0 ± 1.1 vs. 11.3 ± 1.1 h, and 9.2 ± 1.0 vs. 10.2 ± 0.9 h, respectively, all P < 0.01). The rate of abnormal sleep behaviour in the urban and rural cohort was 82.8 and 70.1%, respectively ( P < 0.05). The prevalence of sleep delays in the 6‐ to 8‐year‐old children from urban areas was higher than in the rural areas (60.3 vs. 40.3%, P < 0.01). In the urban 9–12 years group, the rate of day‐time sleepiness was higher than in the rural group (52.6 vs. 26.8%, P < 0.01), whereas the night waking rate was lower (43.8 vs. 58.6%, P < 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the location of the residence, mother's age, parent's sleep habits and education levels predict the sleeping problems in these children. Conclusion: Children from urban communities appear to have sleeping problems than children from a rural setting. A parent's sleep habits, education levels and the location of children's residence have significant impact on the children's sleep behaviour and habits.