Prevalence of sleep-related breathing disorders among school children in Kars Turkey

Abstract

Sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBDs) are highly prevalent and gradually increasing in school-aged children due to technological and social “jetlag” worldwide. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of SRBDs among school children in Kars, Turkey. A total of 1,421 school-aged children (6–13 years old) were included. SRBDs were evaluated with the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ). This study also examined the children’s socio-demographic characteristics and their relationships with SRBDs. The prevalence of SRBDs was 17.2%. The study group’s mean age was 9.37 ± 1.91 years, and 54.2% were girls. There was a significant relationship between “positive” (≥0.33) PSQ results and low educational levels of the parents, household smoking, frequent infections, chronic diseases, poor relationships with friends and teachers, and academic success. A strong relationship was found between academic success and snoring, breathing problems, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, nocturnal enuresis, morning headaches, delayed growth, and parental obesity. The SRBDs risk was 1.504-fold higher in boys than in girls. The risk of SRBDs with frequent infections was 1.921-fold higher than without frequent infections. Chronic diseases were associated with a 2.212-fold increase in the risk of SRBDs. SRBDs increased the risk of poor academic success by 4.673 fold (1/0.214). This was the first study conducted with school children in this region. We believe it is important to evaluate the prevalence and associated factors of SRBDs in school-aged children because of their effects on academic success, especially in developing parts of Turkey that require well-educated human resources more than the developed areas.