Evaluation of Sleep Habits and Sleep Patterns Among 7-12-Year-Old Students in Qazvin, Iran; A School-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Children sleep disorder (CSD) is one of the most common disorders in children with a high prevalence shown by some studies.
We aimed to determine sleep patterns and factors affecting CSD among 7-12-year-old children.
In this cross-sectional study, 20 elementary schools for boys and girls were selected using stratified-clustering sampling, and 661 students were invited to participate in the study. Children’s sleep habits questionnaire (CSHQ) was used to investigate sleep patterns among the children. A multiple linear regression with backward approach and correlation coefficients were used to determine the factors affecting children’s sleep and inter-correlation between subscales, respectively.
511 students took part in the study (participation rate: 77.30%). CSD prevalence was 89.6 percent (95% confidence interval: 86.65 - 92.13). Based on the results of multiple linear regression, school grade was inversely related to bedtime resistance, sleep anxiety, and sleep-disordered breathing (b: -0.233, P: 0.003, b: -0.252, P: 0.001, and b: -0.051, P: 0.049, respectively). The female gender had a direct significant relationship with sleep onset delay (b: 0.135, P: 0.036). School grade (b: -0.080, P: 0.020) and father’s education (b: -0.100, P: 0.002) had significant inverse relationships with sleepwalking. School grade (b: -0.157, P: 0.022) and father’s education (b: -0.209, P: 0.005) had significant inverse relationships with parasomnias. The female gender (b: 7.172, P Given the high CSD prevalence and its impact on children’s behavioral disorders, it is recommended carrying out further studies to understand the etiology and formulating plans to increase the awareness of CSD among parents.