Sleep habits and risk factors for sleep-disordered breathing in infants and young toddlers in Louisville, Kentucky.
BACKGROUND
Snoring affects biobehavioral development among preschool and early school-age children. The goals of the present study were to survey the parents of a large community sample of infants and young toddlers to evaluate (a) naturalistic sleep duration and location; (b) snoring prevalence; and (c) demographic measures and sleep behaviors related to the presence of snoring either 2 or >or=3 days/week.


METHODS
Questionnaires were completed by parents of children ages 2 weeks to 2 years attending well-baby checkups and were also mailed to the homes of six-month-old infants.


RESULTS
Data from 944 children were available for analyses. No age differences were reported for total sleep duration, co-sleeping, or snoring. Average daily sleep duration was 12.5+/-1.8h (standard deviation (SD)), with daytime naps accounting for an increased proportion of total sleep duration among younger infants. Co-sleeping was reported by 15% of families. Snoring 2 days/week was reported in 11.8% and> days/week in 5.3% of participants. Survey items indicating risk for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) clustered into factors related to the child, their environment, and their family; restless sleep was exclusively related to snoring 2 days/week and ethnicity, sweating during sleep, and noisy breathing exclusive to snoring >or=3 days/week.


CONCLUSIONS
Young infants appear to sleep less than currently recommended. Co-sleeping is relatively common and not age-dependent through the first 2 years of life. Items relating to the child's sleep behaviors, environment, and parents' perceptions were predictive of positive report of snoring, with snoring rates consistent with a significant risk for SDB being similar to those reported for older children.
Department of Psychology, West Virginia University; Morgantown, WV 26506-6040, USA. Hawley.Montgomery-Downs@mail.wvu.edu
Hawley E
HE
Montgomery-Downs
David
D
Gozal
D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007629:Kentucky / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D010290:Parents; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012913:Snoring / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors