Sociodemographic and environmental factors associated with childhood sleep duration

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates sociodemographic and environmental correlates of sleep duration among school-aged children. DESIGN & SETTING: The New York City 2009 Child Community Health Survey was analyzed using weighted regression analyses. PARTICIPANTS: 1293 Asian, Black, Latino and White children ages 6–12 years, 999 children in Pre-K – 5th grade and 294 children in the 6th-8th grades. MEASUREMENTS: Parents/guardians completed a survey about the target child’s sleep duration on a typical school night/day, and sociodemographic and household characteristics. RESULTS: Most children (89.3%) met the National Sleep Foundation’s (NSF) recommendation of 9–11 h of sleep per night. Pre-K-5th grade children who were born in the United States were less likely than children born outside of the United States to sleep 9–11 h. When sleep duration was examined continuously, children slept an average of 9 h 44 min. On average, with each additional year of age, children slept 7.2 min less than children who were one year younger. Although there were no differences among ethnic/racial groups in sleeping the recommended 9–11 h/night, when sleep duration was measured as a continuous variable, Asian, Latino, and Black children slept an average of 23, 14, and 17 min fewer, respectively, than White children, adjusting for sociodemographic and environmental factors. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep duration varied across sociodemographic groups of children in New York City in 2009. Future studies should determine causal influences and whether these differences persist.