Sleep Disturbances and Related Factors among Preschool Children in Rural Areas of China: a Cross-Sectional Study

AbstractObjectiveSleep disturbances have been serious since they are believed to be associated with various health problems in preschool children. In this study, we aimed to explore the prevalence of sleep disturbances amongst preschool children in rural areas of China and examine the underlying associated factors.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in rural areas of Anhui province, China from September 2019 to January 2020. To explore the potential associated factors comprehensively, caregivers of children completed a structured questionnaire, the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Chinese version of the adapted Identification and Management of Feeding Difficulties (IMFeD). One-way ANOVA and hierarchical multiple regression are conducted to explore the potential influencing factors of sleep disturbances in preschool children.ResultsAbout 89.3% of the preschool children aged from 3 to 6 years had potential sleep disturbances (scored above the cutoff value). Besides, ages of children, discipline attitudes of father and mother, main educational methods, caregivers of children, caregiver anxiety and hyperactivity/inattention, prosocial behavior, conduct problems, emotional symptoms, peer problems, food preference, fear of feeding, parental misperception and organic disease all contributed significantly to CSHQ total score by accounting for approximately 27.4% (R2=0.274) of the variation.ConclusionsOur study indicated that the prevalence of sleep disturbances among preschool children in rural area of China is quite high. Furthermore, the potential risk factors are complicated which include factors related to both children and caregivers especially their parents.