Can actigraphy measure sleep fragmentation in children?
OBJECTIVE
The gold standard assessment for sleep quality is polysomnography (PSG). However, actigraphy has gained popularity as an ambulatory monitor. We aimed to assess the value of actigraphy in measuring sleep fragmentation in children.


METHODS
130 children aged 2-18 years referred for assessment for sleep disordered breathing (SDB) were recruited. The arousal index (AI) scored from PSG was compared to the actigraphic fragmentation index (FI) and number of wake bouts/h.


RESULTS
The ability of actigraphic measures to correctly classify a child as having an AI>10 events/h rated as fair for the FI and poor for wake bouts/h (area under the receiver operator characteristic curve, 0.73 and 0.67, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Actigraphy provides only a fair indication of the level of arousal from sleep in children. While the limitations of actigraphy prevent it from being a diagnostic tool for SDB, it still has a role in evaluating sleep/wake schedules in children.
Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. denise.odriscoll@med.monash.edu.au
D M
DM
O'Driscoll
A M
AM
Foster
M J
MJ
Davey
G M
GM
Nixon
R S C
RS
Horne
D056044:Actigraphy / Q000379:methods*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000379:methods; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000175:diagnosis*