Sleep In Children Research Articles

Evaluating the Impacts of Parasomnias on Sleep and Exploring Their Therapeutic Interventions

Sleep disorders are topics of important discussion as they apply to a function crucial for the growth and development of individuals. Sleep plays a pivotal role in one's long-term health but various disorders may limit or prevent high-quality sleep for children and adults. One of these common disorder groups is parasomnias. As there is still much to learn in medicine when it comes to parasomnias and their treatments, it is of utmost importance to understand the processes behind the occurrence of parasomnias and their associated conditions. This review breaks down the most common parasomnias, categorizing them based on the onset of disease during rapid eye movement (REM) or non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep stages. This includes somnambulism (sleepwalking), confusional arousals, night terrors, REM behavior disorder (RBD), nightmare disorder, and others. It highlights the characteristics of diagnosis for these individual disorders and attempts to evaluate them through an etiological, epidemiological, and pathophysiological lens. This review also presents the current pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for these disorders.

Impact of adverse childhood experiences and family resilience on sleep duration in autistic children.

Autistic children are more likely to have sleep difficulties and to experience adverse childhood experiences. Adverse childhood experiences can include parental divorce, bullying, or witnessing violence. We also know that children in families who are resilient (e.g. families who are connected, work together, and help each other) are less impacted by adverse childhood experiences. Our study examined whether there was a relationship between adverse childhood experiences and sleep duration in autistic children. We also wanted to find out whether family resilience protects from the negative impact of adverse childhood experiences on sleep duration. We used data from 3247 parent surveys about their children that we got from the National Survey of Children's Health. We found that children with adverse childhood experiences are more likely to get less sleep. We also found that children with resilient families were more likely to get more sleep. Our results show that family resilience helps weaken the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and sleep, so it is important to help families build resilience.

Polysomnographically Defined Restless Sleep Disorder and Periodic Limb Movements during Sleep in Children Born Prematurely.

Children born prematurely (<37 weeks' gestation) are at increased risk of perinatal complications, comorbidities, and iron deficiency. Iron deficiency is associated with restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of restless sleep disorder (RSD) and elevated periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) in children born prematurely who underwent polysomnography. A retrospective chart review of sleep studies was conducted in children aged 1-18 years (median age 4 years) with a history of premature birth. Children with genetic syndrome, airway surgery, or tracheostomy were excluded. Three groups were compared: children with PLMS index >5, children with RSD, and children with neither elevated PLMS index nor RSD. During the study, 2577 sleep studies were reviewed. Ninety-two studies fit our criteria and were included in the analysis. The median age at birth was 31 weeks, and the interquartile range (IQR) was 27-34 weeks. A total of 32 (34.8%) children were referred for restless sleep and 55 (59.8%) for snoring. After polysomnography, 18% were found to have a PLMS index >5/h, and 14% fit the criteria for restless sleep disorder (RSD). There were no statistically significant differences in PSG parameters among the children with RSD, PLMS, and the remaining group, except for lower obstructive apnea/hypopnea index (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA 8.621, p = 0.0135) in the RSD group (median 0.7, IQR 0.3-0.9) than in the PLMS (median 1.7, IQR 0.7-3.5) or the non-RSD/non-PLMS (median 2.0, IQR 0.8-4.5) groups. There was an elevated frequency of RSD and elevated PLMS in our cohort of children born prematurely. Children born prematurely are at higher risk of iron deficiency which can be a contributor factor to sleep -related movement disorders. These results add new knowledge regarding the prevalence of RSD and PLMS in these children.

Compliance with the 24-h Movement Guidelines for Portuguese children: differences between boys and girls

The 24-h Movement Guidelines for children recommend at least 60 min per day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (PA), ≤ 2 h/day of screen time, and 9–11 h/day of sleep for children. Since little information is available on the 24-h Movement Guidelines in Portuguese children, this research attempts to know the proportion of Portuguese children meeting individual and combinations of these 24-h Movement Guidelines. Another aim of this study is to test sex differences in compliance with 24-h Movement Guidelines. A final sample of 1351 Portuguese children (51.4% girls, aged 7.65 ± 1.21) participated in this cross-sectional study. PA, screen time and sleep duration were parent-reported through a questionnaire. Only 3.7% of children met all three 24-h Movement Guidelines, whereas 11.9% met none. Although boys showed greater compliance with PA recommendations and girls with screen time recommendations, no significant sex differences were found in the compliance of all three 24-h Movement Guidelines. Given that 96.3% of Portuguese children did not meet 24-h Movement Guidelines, promoting these three movement behaviours in both boys and girls is crucial to encouraging positive consequences early.

Associations between sleep problems in children with ADHD and parental insomnia and ADHD symptoms.

Sleep problems are common in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children's sleep problem may influence, and be influenced by, parents' sleep problems as well as parents' ADHD symptoms. In the current study we examined the associations of parent-rated sleep quality and sleep timing of pre-adolescent children with parental insomnia symptoms, parental ADHD symptoms and dysfunctional attitudes and beliefs about sleep in a convenience sample recruited by advertisement (N = 120). Childhood sleep problems were common in the sample, with 82% of children exceeding the threshold for the presence of a paediatric sleep disorder. Children's sleep quality showed minimal association with their sleep timing and chronotype. Parental insomnia symptoms, ADHD symptoms and dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep all associated with their children's sleep quality, and with the sleep subdomains of sleep anxiety and parasomnias. In multiple regression analysis only parental insomnia score was a significant predictor of children's sleep quality. Children's bedtimes, wake times, sleep duration, chronotype or social jetlag did not associate with parents' ADHD or insomnia symptoms. Sleep quality was significantly poorer in children whose parents scored as both consistent for adult ADHD and probable for insomnia disorder compared to parents who scored as either ADHD consistent or insomnia probable, or those who parents scored as neither. We discuss the putative nature of the relationships between sleep quality of children with ADHD and parental ADHD and insomnia symptoms, and suggest that clinicians consider parental sleep when attending to children with ADHD.

Correlation between Duration of Social Media Use and Sleep Pattern Disorders In Children Aged 10-12 Years at SD Negeri Kepatihan 05 Jember

Social media usage can both positively and negatively affect children's sleep patterns, with potential negative effects on the quality and quantity of sleep. However, until now, more evidence is needed about the phenomenon in a population of school-age children. This study aims to analyze the relationship between the duration of social media use and sleep pattern disturbances in children aged 10-12 years at SD Negeri Kepatihan 05 based on the theory of problematic smartphone use. The research design uses a correlational approach with a cross-sectional approach. The population of children aged 10-12 years at SD Negeri Kepatihan 05 Jember is 250 respondents. The number of samples was 104 using simple random sampling. Data collection on the duration of social media use used an observation sheet while sleep pattern disturbances used a questionnaire sheet. Data analysis used rho sperm with the condition α ≤ 0.05. The results showed that there was a relationship between the duration of social media use and disturbed sleep patterns in children aged 10-12 years. The correlation in this study shows an r-value of 0.230 which identifies the degree of weak relationship, p-value of 0.019. The duration of social media use has been found to have a positive relationship with disturbed sleep patterns. This study concluded that prolonged social media use can disrupt sleep patterns in children, emphasizing the need for parental monitoring in this context.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Sleep Disorders in Children Aged 7-17: Insights from Parental Observations at the Dental Office.

Sleep disorders (SD) in children is a topic of great relevance due to their impact on a child's general health. This has led us to study their prevalence and the factors that disturb them in the developing population. Using a validated Likert-type questionnaire, different behaviors observed by the parents during the different phases of their children's sleep were evaluated during the last 6 months. A total of 206 children between the ages of 7 and 17 who attended a dental office participated in the study. The prevalence of SD was 47.6%. There were no significant differences regarding the SD in relation to sex (p = 0.796). The mean total score for children aged 7 to 11 years old was 42.3 (±14.25) compared to 45.44 (±15.51) for the group consisting of children aged 12 to 17 years old, reporting a statistically significant difference among both age groups (p = 0.01). The most frequent disorder was related to initiating and maintaining sleep (64.9%) while the least prevalent were the respiratory sleep disorders (27.2%). Given the high prevalence of these disorders, it is necessary to intercept them during childhood and establish educational guidelines in this regard throughout primary care.

Harmonizing data on correlates of sleep in children within and across neurodevelopmental disorders: lessons learned from an Ontario Brain Institute cross-program collaboration.

There is an increasing desire to study neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) together to understand commonalities to develop generic health promotion strategies and improve clinical treatment. Common data elements (CDEs) collected across studies involving children with NDDs afford an opportunity to answer clinically meaningful questions. We undertook a retrospective, secondary analysis of data pertaining to sleep in children with different NDDs collected through various research studies. The objective of this paper is to share lessons learned for data management, collation, and harmonization from a sleep study in children within and across NDDs from large, collaborative research networks in the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI). Three collaborative research networks contributed demographic data and data pertaining to sleep, internalizing symptoms, health-related quality of life, and severity of disorder for children with six different NDDs: autism spectrum disorder; attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; obsessive compulsive disorder; intellectual disability; cerebral palsy; and epilepsy. Procedures for data harmonization, derivations, and merging were shared and examples pertaining to severity of disorder and sleep disturbances were described in detail. Important lessons emerged from data harmonizing procedures: prioritizing the collection of CDEs to ensure data completeness; ensuring unprocessed data are uploaded for harmonization in order to facilitate timely analytic procedures; the value of maintaining variable naming that is consistent with data dictionaries at time of project validation; and the value of regular meetings with the research networks to discuss and overcome challenges with data harmonization. Buy-in from all research networks involved at study inception and oversight from a centralized infrastructure (OBI) identified the importance of collaboration to collect CDEs and facilitate data harmonization to improve outcomes for children with NDDs.

Sleep, executive functions, and functional impairment in children with specific learning disorder: An investigation of the mediating pathways.

Sleep problems and executive dysfunction are associated with functional impairment in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, we aimed to investigate these aspects in children with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and SLD with comorbid Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), while also evaluating differences with typically developing (TD) children. Our study hypothesizes that children with SLD, especially those with comorbid ADHD, face greater sleep disturbances and executive function challenges compared to TD peers. We also propose that sleep disturbances aggravate functional impairment and that executive functions mediate this relationship. The data obtained from psychiatric evaluations, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires filled out by parents were analyzed. SLD + ADHD group had worse scores in all scales, followed by SLD and TD groups. Mediator analysis demonstrated that executive functions had a mediator role in the relationship between sleep problems and functional impairment. Our findings suggest that children with SLD experience more significant difficulties in daily living than their typically developing peers and having ADHD comorbidity, poor executive functions, and additional sleep problems can further exacerbate impairment. Notably, our mediation analysis suggests that executive functions mediate the relationship between sleep disturbances and the severity of functional impairments.

Digitale Medien und Schlaf bei Kindern und Jugendlichen: Prävention und Intervention

ZusammenfassungDie voranschreitende Digitalisierung birgt neben all dem Positiven auch Gefährdungen für Kinder und Jugendliche wie zum Beispiel Gaming Disorder, Cybermobbing, Onlinesexsucht oder Cybergrooming. Diese digitalisierungsbedingten Störungen, aber auch die intensivierte Nutzung digitaler Medien allgemein können den Schlaf von Kindern und Jugendlichen negativ beeinflussen. Eine Kombination aus Verhältnis- und Verhaltensprävention ist notwendig, um dieser negativen Entwicklung effektiv entgegenzuwirken. Für eine effektive Verhältnisprävention ist die Mitarbeit der Entwickler und Anbieter medialer Angebote sowie eine Unterstützung auf politischer Ebene unerlässlich. Im Sinne einer Verhaltensprävention ist es wichtig, die Ressourcen der Kinder und Jugendlichen zu stärken, Kontextfaktoren miteinzubeziehen und den Erziehungsberechtigten Hilfestellungen sowie klare Empfehlungen anzubieten. Kinderärzte und Allgemeinmediziner sollten verstärkt für die Problematik sensibilisiert werden. Die vorhandenen Interventionsmaßnahmen zur Kontrolle der Bildschirmnutzung mit dem Ziel, die Schlafqualität zu verbessern, weisen zumeist nur kleine Wirkeffekte auf. Die Verfügbarkeit und Inanspruchnahme digitaler Behandlungsangeboten nimmt zu. Aussagekräftige Evaluationsstudien zur Effektivität dieser Interventionen sind erforderlich.

Accelerometer-measured sleep behaviour and parent-child sleep guideline adherence and sleep quality in Czech families with children aged 3-8 years: the FAMIly Physical Activity, Sedentary behaviour and Sleep (FAMIPASS) study.

Assessing parent-child relationship in sleep behaviours is important for facilitating changes in the sleep guideline compliance in preschool age children. The aim of this study was to examine accelerometer-measured sleep quantity and quality in families with children aged 3-8 years and investigate the parents' influence on the child's sleep. The data were obtained from the Czech cross-sectional FAMIly Physical Activity, Sedentary behaviour and Sleep (FAMIPASS) study, with a final sample of 374 families. Families were recruited through the enrolment of their children in kindergartens/primary schools between March 2022 and May 2023. The sleep time window and total sleep time were assessed using a wrist-worn ActiGraph accelerometer. Participants wore this device continuously for 24 h/day over a period of 7 consecutive days. Demographic data and potential correlates were obtained via questionnaires completed by parents. Statistical analyses were completed using logistic regression and independent-samples Mann-Whitney U test. In all, 65.5% of children (60% boys, 70.9% girls) and 58.3% of parents (52.4% fathers, 64.3% mothers) achieved the recommended sleep duration. Greater sleep quantity and duration in good-quality sleep were significantly higher in girls/mothers, compared to boys/fathers. Preschoolers were more likely to comply with sleep guidelines if their mother (but not father) met the sleep recommendation and their mothers did not have a higher education level. Adhering to sleep guidelines in children was also associated with children's female gender, absence of screen device in the bedroom, and being more active. Given the high concurrence in mother-child sleep quantity, it is important to promote healthy sleep behaviours in the whole family.

Intranasal dexmedetomidine for sedation in ABR testing in children: No pain, big gain!

ObjectivesObtaining perfect immobility or sleep in children undergoing ABR auditory brainstem response) testing can be challenging. We examined the effectiveness and safety of intranasal dexmedetomidine for sedation of children undergoing ABR testing. Material and methodsWe included prospectively all patients aged from 1 to 15 years for whom sedation for ABR testing was required, between July 2018 and November 2021. We administered an initial dose of 2.5 μg/kg intranasal dexmedetomidine with a repeat dose of 1 μg/kg if needed 30 min later. Collected data included success rate of sedation, sedation onset and recovery times and incidence of side effects. ResultsABR testing was undertaken successfully in 57 of the 59 patients, giving a total success rate of 96,6 %. (95 % confidence interval 88.5 %–99.1 %). The median time to onset of sleep was 32 ± 18.3 min. The median duration of sedation recovery time was 48 ± 24.7 min. We recorded the adverse effects. Thirty-one patients experienced bradycardia and 28 patients experienced hypotension, all of which resolved without intervention. ConclusionIntranasal dexmedetomidine is an effective, safe, simple of use and noninvasive method for sedation in children. It could have a major role in auditory brainstem response testing, specially in the case of non-cooperative children. Registration number of the trialNCT03530371.

Parental and Child Sleep: Children with Vision Impairment, Autistic Children, and Children with Comorbid Vision Impairment and Autism.

Parents report associations between children's sleep disturbances and behaviors. Children with neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., Williams Syndrome and autism) are consistently reported to experience increased sleeping problems. Sleep in children with vision impairment and children with a dual diagnosis of vision impairment and autism remains understudied. Our exploratory study compared sleep profiles in 52 children (aged 4-12 years) and their parents (n = 37), across four groups: children with vision impairment (VI; n = 9), autism (n = 10), comorbid vision impairment + autism (n = 6), and typically developing children (n = 27). Childhood sleep was measured using the parental report Childhood Sleep Habits Questionnaire and sleep diaries. Children's cognitive functioning was measured using digit span, semantic, and phonemic verbal fluency measures. Parental sleep was measured via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Clinically disordered sleep was reported in all child groups (p ≤ 0.001), particularly children with VI + autism. Age, not sleep quality/quantity, predicted cognitive task performance in TD and autistic groups, but not in VI and VI + autism groups. The child's diagnosis affected parental sleep, particularly in children with a dual diagnosis of VI + autism. All participants experienced problematic sleep to varying degrees. Those most affected were children and parents in the VI + autism group, suggesting that autism may be the main driver of sleep problems in our sample.

Jerks are Useful: Extracting pulse rate from wrist-placed accelerometry jerk during sleep in children.

Evaluate wrist-placed accelerometry predicted heartrate compared to electrocardiogram (ECG) heartrate in children during sleep. Children (n=82, 61% male, 43.9% Black) wore a wrist-placed Apple Watch Series 7 (AWS7) and ActiGraph GT9X during a polysomnogram. 3-Axis accelerometry data was extracted from AWS7 and the GT9X. Accelerometry heartrate estimates were derived from jerk (the rate of acceleration change), computed using the peak magnitude frequency in short time Fourier Transforms of Hilbert transformed jerk computed from acceleration magnitude. Heartrates from ECG traces were estimated from R-R intervals using R-pulse detection. Lin's Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC), mean absolute error (MAE) and mean absolute percent error (MAPE) assessed agreement with ECG estimated heartrate. Secondary analyses explored agreement by polysomnography sleep stage and a signal quality metric. The developed scripts are available on Github. For the GT9X, CCC was poor at -0.11 and MAE and MAPE were high at 16.8 (SD=14.2) beats/minute and 20.4% (SD=18.5%). For AWS7, CCC was moderate at 0.61 while MAE and MAPE were lower at 6.4 (SD=9.9) beats/minute and 7.3% (SD=10.3%). Accelerometry estimated heartrate for AWS7 was more closely related to ECG heartrate during N2, N3 and REM sleep than lights on, wake, and N1 and when signal quality was high. These patterns were not evident for the GT9X. Raw accelerometry data extracted from AWS7, but not the GT9X, can be used to estimate heartrate in children while they sleep. Future work is needed to explore the sources (i.e., hardware, software, etc.) of the GT9X's poor performance.

Parenting Stress in Autistic and ADHD Children: Implications of Social Support and Child Characteristics.

High levels of parenting stress have been detected in mothers of children with Autism (ASD) and children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comparing with mothers of typically developing (TD) children. The current study explored the implications of social support (confidant and affective support) and child characteristics (emotional, behavioral and sleep problems) on parenting stress in ASD and ADHD. Furthermore, the differences between mothers of children with autism, ADHD and TD on the studied variables were examined.A total of 120 mothers of 30 TD children, 47 with ASD without intellectual disability and 43 with ADHD collaborated in the study. Significant differences were found between clinical and TD groups in parenting stress, social support, and child characteristics.Correlation analysis in the group with ADHD revealed that parental stress correlated significantly with social support and with children's emotional problems. In the ASD group, parental stress also correlated significantly with children's sleep and behavioral problems. Moreover, multiple regressions showed that confidant support was a significant predictor of parenting stress in both clinical groups.The findings provide new insights to consider social support as a fundamental part of treatments for parenting stress in mothers of children with ASD and ADHD.

Subtypes of childhood maltreatment and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in an adult trauma sample: The mechanistic role of sleep.

Childhood maltreatment is indisputably linked to adverse mental health outcomes, including an increased risk to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adulthood. The role of childhood maltreatment in the context of recovery from a trauma later in adulthood is not well understood. A variable related to both childhood maltreatment and PTSD symptoms, and a potential link between the two, is sleep. The current study aimed to understand how sleep disturbances may play a mechanistic role in the effect of subtypes of childhood maltreatment on PTSD symptom severity in an adult trauma sample. 160 adults (90 women; Mage = 33.73, SD = 10.86) were recruited from the emergency department at a Level-1 trauma center in southeastern Wisconsin after experiencing a traumatic injury. Experiences of childhood maltreatment and sleep were self-reported at 2-week and 3-month posttrauma, respectively. PTSD symptoms were clinically assessed 6 months later. Sleep disturbances 3-month posttrauma mediated the effect of emotional abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect on PTSD symptom 6 months after the traumatic injury. The effect of sexual and physical abuse on PTSD symptoms was not significantly mediated by sleep disturbances. These findings highlight the differential impact of subtypes of childhood maltreatment on PTSD symptoms, the mechanistic role of sleep, and the need to consider early life adversity when assessing adult posttrauma experiences. These results also suggest that interventions aimed at improving sleep quality might improve PTSD symptoms in those who have experienced childhood maltreatment and a subsequent traumatic injury in adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

DOES MOTOR PROFICIENCY INFLUENCE SLEEP, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MENTAL WELLBEING IN AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN?

INTRODUCTION Motor impairments such as poor timing, balance, sequencing, and dexterity often impact on the child’s quality of life, both physically and emotionally. Sleep and physical activity are modifiable behaviours that have a bi-directional association with mental health outcomes. However, there is very limited research on sleep in children with motor difficulties. The aim of this study is to examine if level of motor proficiency influences physical activity, sleep behaviour, and mental well-being. METHODS Children aged between 6 and 12 years attended one ∼90-minute testing session where they completed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC; 2nd edition), the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD; 3rd edition), and a brief physical activity assessment. Questionnaire were completed by the children and parents (Adolescents Motor Competence Questionnaire (AMCQ), Short Moods and Feelings, Kids Screen, Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). RESULTS Currently, 15 children (9 males, mean age 9.2 ± 1.97 yrs) have completed the study. Preliminary results show a mean TGMD index of 104.93 ±1.97, suggesting motor skills performed to an average level. The MABC percentile rank was 56.93 ±27.05, one participant below 5th percentile (motor impairment). AMCQ mean 87.00±8.9, however four participants had perceived low motor competence. Interestingly mean sleep score suggests high sleep disturbance among the sample (CSHQ mean 42.33 ± 9.73) with 9 out of 15 participants identifying with a paediatric sleep disorder (three low motor competence and six high motor competence has a paediatric sleep disorder). CONCLUSION Results indicate some interesting findings with both high and low motor competence children demonstrating a sleep disorder. Further analysis looking at actigraph sleep data, sleep diary and physical activity collected over 7 days will be presented during the conference.

Effects of Forest Activities on Sleep and Problematic Behaviors in Young Children

Background and objective: This study aims to determine the effects of forest activities, such as forest meditation and forest experience, on young children's sleep and problematic behaviors and to compare the changes that occur according to the type of forest activity.Methods: Fifty-nine five-year-old children from early childhood education institutions in Cheongju City, Korea, participated. The experiment took place over five weeks between May 3 and 31, 2022. Activities were conducted twice a week for a total of eight sessions. The forest meditation and forest experience groups carried out activities in the forest. The control group carried out thematic activities according to the Nuri curriculum followed by early childhood education institutions. The Korean version of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire was used to assess the participants' sleep duration and sleep habits, and the Korean Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1.5-5 was used to assess problematic behaviors.Results: We found a statistically significant increase in the average sleep duration of the children in the meditation group, as well as a statistically significant decrease in their total sleep habits score and the scores of the bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, and sleep anxiety subdomains of sleep habits. A statistically significant decrease was observed in the forest experience group's scores for total problematic behaviors and internalizing problems. We also found a statistically significant positive correlation between sleep habits and problematic behaviors.Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that static activities, such as forest meditation activities, increase sleep duration and improve sleep habits, while dynamic activities, such as forest experience activities, improve problematic behaviors and internalizing problems. Providing specific programs that appropriately utilize static and dynamic forest activities can help improve sleep and problematic behaviors in young children.

International study of 24-h movement behaviors of the early years (SUNRISE): A pilot study from Iran.

This study examined the proportion of Iranian children who met the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years. Additionally, it investigated the feasibility and acceptability of the methods to be used in the SUNRISE study. This pilot study was conducted among 83 children aged 3 and 4 years in preschools and health care centres in Iran, in 2022. Physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep (ActiGraph wGT3x-BT); fine and gross motor skills (validated activities); and executive functions (the Early Years Toolbox) were assessed. Only four (4.8%) children met all recommendations of the WHO guidelines. The proportion of children who met MVPA, TPA, screen time, restrained sitting and sleep were 44.6%, 38.6%, 19.3%, 38.6% and 65.1%, respectively. Fifty-two (62.6%) children wore the ActiGraph for at least three full days. A total of 97.6%, 95.1% and 91.5% of children completed anthropometric, EF and motor skill assessments, respectively. This pilot study was feasible and acceptable among Iranian children. Regarding the low proportion of children who met the WHO guidelines, it is recommended that long-term and practical strategies be developed to promote healthier lifestyles among preschool children in Iran.

유아 기질의 부정적 정서성과 수줍음이 취학 전 유아의 학습준비도에 미치는 종단적 영향

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine whether the negative emotionality and shyness of 3-year-old children's temperament have a longitudinal effect on the school readiness of 5-year-old preschool children mediated by sleep problems one year later. Methods Data from 1,415 households in the 5th (2012), 6th (2013), and 7th (2014) years of the Panel Study on Korean Children(PSKC) conducted by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education were used. Correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the descriptive statistics and relationships of the main research variables, and structural equation models were analyzed to determine the paths between the variables. Bootstrapping was also conducted to test the significance of the indirect effects. Results It has been found that the negative emotionality of 3-year-old children's temperament not only directly influences the school readiness of preschool children at the age of 5, but also indirectly affects their readiness through mediating the sleeping patterns of children. However, while shyness has a direct impact on preschool children's readiness for learning two years later, its indirect effect was found to be insignificant. Conclusions This study confirmed the longitudinal effects of the negative emotionality and shyness of 3-year-old children's temperament and the children's sleep problems one year later in explaining the school readiness of 5-year-old preschool children. These results can be used to raise the importance of sleep in early childhood and to develop a range of measures to support children's readiness to learn based on their temperament.