Open Access
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2024; 17(S 01): S1-S89
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1811807
Sleep Science Supplement 2024

Evaluation of the Impact of Gestational Age on Premature Children and Adolescents' Sleep Habits and Circadian Preferences

Authors

  • Ana Carolina Nunes-Oliveira

    1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Priscila Farias Tempaku

    1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Sergio Tufik

    1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Allan Chiaratti Oliveira

    1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Vânia D'Almeida

    1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Keywords

sleep - preterm - children - adolescence - chronobiology

Introduction: Prematurity is characterized by the birth of the newborn before completing 37 weeks of gestation and is divided into extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks), very preterm (28 to less than 32 weeks), and moderate to late preterm (32 to 37 weeks). In humans, the circadian system is still immature at birth, evidenced by the predominant presentation of rhythms lasting less than 24 hours, also called ultradian, especially in premature infants. In addition, premature infants spend more time in neonatal intensive care units. They are mostly exposed to constant light, which is detrimental to rhythmic oscillations, and sleep quality and duration.

Objective: To evaluate whether gestational age impacts sleep habits and circadian preferences in children and teenagers from 10 years old.

Methods: Cross-sectional study in which 45 children and teenagers from 10 years old answered the Morningness-Eveningness Scale (M/E), Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI), and Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ). The study was conducted at the UNIFESP Preterm Clinic, and the sample was categorized into 3 groups: extremely preterm (EP - less than 28 weeks) (N=8; 16.7±2.98 years; 11.10% female), very preterm (VP - 28 to less than 32 weeks) (N=24; 14.5±3.15 years; 20.00% female), and moderate to late preterm (MLP - 32 to 37 weeks) (N=13; 13.7±2.78 years; 33.30% female).

Results: Using the ANCOVA test, a comparison was made in the questionnaire scores between the 3 groups controlled for age, sex, and pubertal development. No significant difference was observed between the 3 groups for the M/V questionnaire (EP=31.10±4.61; VP=31.30±5.42; MLP=31.90±5.69; p>0.05). Also, no significant differences were observed between 3 groups for the ISH questionnaire (EP=17.50±4.00; VP=19.20±7.25; MLP=14.70±5.95; p>0.05), and no significant differences between 3 groups for the de MCTQ questionnaire (EP=4.10±1.66; VP=4.61±2.07; MLP=4.83±4.38; p>0.05).

Conclusion: The results of the study indicated that gestational age did not affect the sleep habits and circadian preferences of premature children and teenagers. Age, pubertal development, and sex also had no impact on the aspects investigated.


No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).

Publication History

Article published online:
16 September 2025

© 2025. Brazilian Sleep Academy. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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