title: Latino Parents' Insight on Optimal Sleep for Their Preschool-Age Child: Does Context Matter?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Insufficient sleep is a risk factor for pediatric obesity. Latino children are among those groups in which both short sleep duration and obesity are prevalent. Therefore, this study sought to explore Latino parents' views about ideal sleep duration and sleep-related practices for their preschool-age children in an urban setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between October 2013 and January 2014, Latino parents of 2- to 5-year-old children were interviewed at 3 pediatric clinics (San Francisco, Calif). Using a semistructured interview guide, parents were asked to describe bedtime routines and sleep practices of their preschool-age children, including behavioral, parental, social, and contextual factors that may affect children's sleep. Interviews were conducted in Spanish and English. Parents also completed a brief survey on demographic information. Interviews were analyzed on the basis of a priori and emergent themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Latino parents (n = 18) were mostly female, with a mean age of 31 years; most were foreign born; and more than half had a monthly household income of $2000 or less. The following themes emerged: parents' ideas about optimal sleep duration for their preschool-age child, consistent bedtime routines, room sharing and bed sharing, parent work and child school schedules that affect children's sleep, and crowded housing and neighborhood noise that disrupt children's sleep.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings increase our understanding of the factors related to achieving optimal sleep duration among Latino children living in urban and often crowded housing. Findings could be used to inform future research on how to increase parental knowledge of healthy sleep practices and adequate sleep among Latino parents of young children.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, Calif. Electronic address: suzanna.martinez@ucop.edu.
authors.forename: Suzanna M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, Calif.
authors.forename: Ariana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thompson-Lastad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012890:Sleep; D000070263:Sleep Hygiene; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: Latino; bedtime routines; parental views; preschool; sleep; sleep hygiene