Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Stephen L. Brown¹, James Teufel, MPH¹, David A. Birch, PhD¹, Neil Izenberg, MD², and David Midland³. (1) Health Education and Recreation, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Mailcode 4632, Carbonale, IL 62901-4632, 618-453-1863, slbrown@siu.edu, (2) Nemours Center for Children's Health Media, P.O. Box 269, Wilmington, DE 19899, (3) National Association of Health Education Centers, 1533 N. RiverCenter Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53212-3913

In the U.S., early adolescents typically receive 1-1.5 hours less sleep than is optimal for their ages (i.e., 9.5 to 10.5 hours). Sleep restriction and sleep debt influence the moods, academic performance, and health of early adolescents.

Data were collected in November 2005 from 1187 children, ages 9 to 13, at ten health education centers in six states. Participating students indicated their choices by pressing corresponding letters on handheld, electronic keypads. Questions were developed by an advisory team consisting of center staff, school administrators and teachers, a child psychologist, a pediatrician, university researchers, and health educators. Based on data obtained from the National Center for Educational Statistics, schools sampled approximated national averages.

Ten percent of students averaged more sleep then recommended, 28% were zero to one hour deficit, 37% were one to two hours deficit, and 25% were more than two hours deficit. When asked the approximate amount of sleep required by children age, 58% underestimated. Two-thirds of the early adolescents said they had the same bedtime routine “every night” or “most nights.” Seventy-one percent of the respondents said they usually wake “sort of sleepy” or “very sleepy.” Forty-six percent of the students wished they could get “much more” sleep and another 24% wanted “a little more” sleep. Forty percent of the respondents said they are tired or sleepy at school “often” or “every day.” Univariate ANOVA of dummy coded variables revealed that only regular bedtime routine and who chooses bedtime (child v. parent) predicted differences in sleep deprivation.

Learning Objectives: