Effects of the home environment on school-aged children's sleep.
OBJECTIVE
Examine the relationship between the sleep behavior of elementary school-aged children and characteristics of the home environment.


METHODS
Cross-sectional analysis of children participating in a cohort study.


METHODS
Cleveland Children's Sleep and Health Study, an ethnically mixed, urban, community-based cohort.


METHODS
Four hundred forty-nine children (50% girls, 46% African-American) aged 8 to 11 years.


RESULTS
Sleep and health data were obtained from a child-completed 7-day sleep journal and caregiver-completed health and sleep questionnaire. Home-environment predictors were Middle-Childhood Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (MC-HOME) total score and Encouragement of Maturity and Physical Environment subscale scores. Sleep outcomes were mean nightly sleep duration, night-to-night variation in sleep duration, and bedtime of 11 PM or later. Adjusted analyses showed that higher Encouragement of Maturity subscale scores were associated with longer sleep duration (P < .05) and decreased odds of a bedtime at 11 PM or later (odds ratio = .74, 95% confidence interval, .58-.95). In girls, higher Encouragement of Maturity scores were also associated with decreased nightly variation in mean sleep duration (P < .001). Increases in total MC-HOME score were associated with increased mean sleep duration among African-American children only (P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Collectively, results indicate that a parenting style encouraging social maturity in children is linked to healthier sleep patterns.
Spilsbury
James C
JC
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Behavioral Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Case School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106-6038, USA. jcs5@case.edu
Storfer-Isser
Amy
A
Drotar
Dennis
D
Rosen
Carol L
CL
Kirchner
H Lester
HL
Redline
Susan
S
D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D012890:Sleep; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors