General sleep quality in preschool children at low risk of OSAS

Introduction Sleep quality in children has been predominantly studied with regard to the influence of sleep-related breathing disorders. For preschool age, reference data of healthy children is largely missing. Therefore a prospective survey for this age group was performed, excluding children with risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods The validated questionnaires " Children’s Sleep Comic" (CSC) and German version of "Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire" (CSHQ-DE) as well as "OSA-18" and "Brouillette" questionnaire were collected from n=129 children (3-6 years) at two time points 3 months apart (t1, t2).

Results In the collective (♂52%, ♀48%, 4.7±0.9 years), there was a low risk of OSA in the screening questionnaires (>98%). The CSHQ-DE showed a high but stable "sleep disturbance score" (SDS) (44.7±6.4 t1 vs. 44.7±5.7 t2, p=0.684). Only the "sleep-related anxiety" subscale was inconsistent (6.1±1.8 vs. 6.5±2.0; p=0.012). The "intensity of sleep problem score" (ISPS) of the child sleep comic was rather low (5.5±2.6 t1 vs 5.2±2.8 t2, p=0.161).

Conclusion In the literature, results for other age groups differ significantly. It can be assumed that the influences on sleep quality are highly variable according to age. Within the collective, sleep-related anxiety was shown to be the most volatile. The present data are well suited as a basis for the following studies on sleep quality in preschool age.

Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2023