Maternal-Reported Sleep Health for Kindergarteners During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract

We sought to describe kindergarteners' sleep health during the first full school year of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-21) in a cross-sectional study. Using a maternal-report survey (n=109), we computed descriptive statistics in the areas of sleep timing, duration, efficiency/continuity and daytime alertness/sleepiness, and sleep-related behaviors (i.e., routines/hygiene), and we examined differences as a function of schooling format, maternal employment changes, and sociodemographic characteristics. Overall, 49% of kindergarteners had late (i.e., >9:00pm) weekend bedtimes and 19% had late weekday bedtimes, yet most children experienced adequate sleep durations (10:46 weekdays; 10:51 weekends). About one-third of children experienced some degree of sleep disturbance or sleep-related impairment. Children experienced relatively consistent bedtime routines overall. There were some differences in relation to schooling format, (i.e., later bedtime and wake time for online attendees), race/ethnicity (i.e., differences in the area of timing, duration, efficiency, and behaviors), and household income (i.e., differences in the area of timing, duration, and behaviors), but no differences according to child sex or COVID-19-related maternal employment changes. It is important for early childhood professionals to query children's sleep health and identify areas of support for families experiencing acute or chronic disruptions to daily life given short-and long-term sequelae of poor sleep health.