0515 A Middle School and High School Sleep Trends Identified by a School Based Sleep Screening Program

Abstract

Abstract Introduction WUAL is a population based preventative sleep screening and education program for 7th to 12th graders through an asynchronous virtual platform. A descriptive summary of the program has been presented previously. First year results of a partnership with a middle school and high school with established delayed school start times are available and reveal unique trends across the academic year and specific patterns that differ between 7th-9th grade and 10th-12th grade. Methods The WUAL team consists of a board-certified pediatric sleep specialist, school guidance counselor and 2 project managers. The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) was considered. A letter describing the program with an opt-out option was provided to parents prior to survey distribution. Survey data was captured using REDcap and included the Epworth sleepiness scale -CHAD (ESS) and the childhood sleep habits questionnaire (CHSQ). The surveys were completed at two-time points: December 2020 and April 2021. WUAL website was developed to serve as an educational resource and to access the surveys. Results A total of 346 students participated. Average weekday sleep reported by 7th- 9th graders was 8.6 hours (mean 8.9, 9 and 8 hours respectively). Average weekday sleep reported by 10th-12th graders was 7.1 hours (mean 7.1, 7 and 7.3 hours). Pairwise comparisons showed that students’ raw scores on both the ESS and the CSHQ decreased from December to April (ps ≤ .002). To examine the clinical significance of these changes, students’ trajectories were examined. There were 4 specific patterns of responses identified over the 2 time points: normal to normal, normal to pathologic, pathologic to normal and pathologic to pathologic. Despite the significant changes in raw scores, between 1/3 and ½ of the students with pathologic responses remained pathologic. Conclusion This method of screening has demonstrated a high degree of successful completion. Sleep patterns evolve over the course of the school year and for at least half of students appear to improve. There are additional differences observed between younger and older teenagers as observed by weekday sleep hours reported in 7th to 9th grade students compared to 10th to 12th grade students. Support (If Any) Grant Funding Support from Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Janet Weis Children's Hospital (Geisinger)