LAUSR

Insufficient sleep adversely affects the physiological and psychological well-being of children and their families. Reports indicate that children's sleep health is declining; however, comparable data on the South African pediatric population is lacking. To this end, the current study aimed to explore the sleep quality and sleep hygiene practices of South African primary school-aged children. The current study was exploratory and employed convenience sampling. Parents/legal guardians of South African children (6 – 11 years) attending primary school were recruited through social media platforms and asked to complete an online survey. The survey captured basic biographical information on their child's sleep habits (Children’s Sleep Health Questionnaire, CSHQ) and sleep hygiene practices (Children’s Sleep Hygiene Scale, CSHS). Survey responses were collected from May–August 2022. Of the 448 responses, 208 were included in the data analysis. Responses were received from eight South African provinces; the highest response was from the Western Cape (38.5%), followed by Gauteng (30.3%). The mean age of the study population was 8.0 ± 1.7 years (mean ± SD) and 51% were female. Of the children surveyed, 49.5% attended government schools. The mean parental report of sleep duration was 9.31 ± 0.45 hrs. The mean total sleep disturbance score based on the CSHQ was 47 ± 8.4, with 76% of children scoring greater than or equal to 41, indicating the presence of a possible sleep disturbance. The mean sleep hygiene index was 28.0 ± 3.4. Linear regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between total sleep disturbance and sleep hygiene scores (R2 = 0.32, p < 0.001); low sleep hygiene index scores were associated with a higher total sleep disturbance score. Multiple quantile regression models revealed that home-schooling and increased age were also significantly associated with sleep disturbance scores. While the reported total sleep time for South African primary school-aged children was within the recommended range (9 – 11 hrs) for this age group, the overall presence of possible sleep disturbances was high, which could be attributed to poor sleep hygiene practices.