0996 School Start Times Are Associated With Youth And Parent Sleep Duration

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Early school start times contribute to insufficient sleep in adolescents; however, we know little about the impact of school start times at a family level. Moreover, even among similar school start times, sleep opportunity varies depending on mode of transportation and travel time. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine whether AM school departure time is associated with sleep duration in parents and young adolescents. Methods Parent-adolescent dyads (n=31) completed 10 days of actigraphy and sleep diaries. Adolescents were 10-14 year olds (58% male). Parents were predominately mothers (87%) and their mean age was 44 yrs (SD = 5.9). Dyads were 77% White, 11% Black, and 12% Biracial or Other. Youth leave for school time was assessed with the School Sleep Habits Survey. Actigraphy- and diary-assessed total sleep time (TST) was averaged across 10 days and on weekdays. Separate regressions models for parents and adolescents determined associations between school leave time (predictor) and two outcomes: 10-day TST and weekday TST. Results For adolescents, later leave for school time was associated with longer 10-day actigraphy-assessed TST (β = .504, p = .012) and diary-assessed TST (β =.683, p <.001). Later leave for school time was also associated with more weekday actigraphy and diary-assessed TST (β = .661 and .426, respectively, p’s < .05). For parents, later leave for school time predicted more diary-assessed sleep across 10 days (β = .481, p = .013) and on weekdays, but this finding did not reach significance (β = .373, p = .061). Leave for school time was not associated with parents’ actigraphy-assessed TST across the 10-day period or on weekdays (p’s > .10). Conclusion The time that youth need to leave for school may more closely approximate sleep opportunity regardless of actual school start time. This is particularly relevant for urban and rural youth with long commutes. Findings add to the strong support that delayed school start times or flexible scheduling will benefit adolescent sleep and also suggest positive impacts at the family level. Support This material is based upon work supported by the Sleep Research Society Foundation.