title: Effect of animated movie in combating child sleep health problems.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sleep deprivation among teens is a major health issue. Only 15% of teens get 8.5 h of sleep on school nights. Sleep deprivation can lead to poor grades, sleepiness and moodiness. We undertook a study to assess the prevalence of sleep habit disturbance among elementary school students in South Texas with Hispanic ethnicity predominance. We also found how much a video based on sleep education had an impact on these children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Once the Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD) approved the collection of baseline sleep data, questionnaires were administered using the Children's Sleep Habit Questionnaire (CSHQ.) These questionnaires were distributed prior to the viewing of the educational and animated movie KNIGHTS (Keep Nurturing and Inspiring Good Habits in Teen Sleep). Four months later, a random follow-up was performed and the children were requested to respond to the same CSHQ.
  
  
  RESULTS
  264 children from two elementary schools participated in this educational program. At baseline, 55.56% of the children had trouble sleeping. When the questionnaire was administered four months later, only 23.26% (p < 0.05) had trouble sleeping. Additionally, at baseline, approximately 60-70% children had some baseline bedtime resistance, anxiety dealing with sleep, issues with sleep duration and/or awakenings in the middle of the night. In the follow up questionnaire, results showed significant improvements in overall sleep habits, bedtime resistance, sleep anxiety and night awakenings amongst students (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were seen in sleep duration and daytime sleepiness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sleep deprivation and good sleep habits remain as a pervasive challenge among elementary school students. Administering an animated video about sleep education along with a provider-based education may be an effective tool for educating elementary school students and decreasing the prevalence of these sleep-related issues. Future prospective randomized studies are suggested.
authors.affiliation: Texas A&M University, 1177 West Wheeler Ave, Suite 1, Aransas Pass, TX 78336 USA.
authors.forename: Salim R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Surani
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Associates, Corpus Christi, TX USA.
authors.forename: Saherish S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Surani
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Associates, Corpus Christi, TX USA.
authors.forename: Sreevidya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sadasiva
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Associates, Corpus Christi, TX USA.
authors.forename: Zoya
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Surani
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley, CA USA.
authors.forename: Amina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khimani
authors.affiliation: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA USA.
authors.forename: Sara S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Surani
keywords: Sleep deprivation; Sleep education; Teen sleep; Video based learning