Secular trends in Australian school children's sleep and perceived importance of sleep between 1985 and 2013

©2017 Foundation Acta Pædiatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: To examine secular trends in Australian children's actual sleep time as well as the perceived importance of sleep between 1985, 2004 and 2013. Methods: Secular trends in children's sleep and their perception of the importance of sleep across three time points 1985 (N = 401), 2004 (N = 450) and 2013 (N = 395) were examined according to socio-economic status (SES), age and sex. The children self-reported their bedtime, wake-up time and their perceived importance of sleep, among other questions. Results: There were no significant differences in sleep duration between boys and girls in any of the survey years, nor were there differences in sleep duration between SES categories at any time point. Independent of survey year, age, sex and SES, there was a graded difference in sleep duration (minutes) across response categories for perceived importance of sleep. Overall, trends in the perceived importance of sleep appeared to match trends in actual sleep time, but not for all subgroups. Conclusion: This study indicates that the sleep duration of high SES Australian school children is returning to, or near to, baseline sleep duration observed in 1985, while the sleep duration of low SES Australian children has remained at low levels

Day type and the relationship between weight status and sleep duration in children and adolescents

Chronic reduced quality and duration of sleep have been associated with a range of physical and psychosocial disturbances in both adults and children, including: impaired attention, memory, creativity, learning and academic performance;1 motor skill deficits; 2 greater emotional lability, increased impulsivity, aggression and hyperactivity; 3 and increased potential for alcohol and drug abuse in adulthood.

Can a school-based sleep education programme improve sleep knowledge, hygiene and behaviours using a randomised controlled trial

Objectives: The present study investigated the effectiveness of a school-based sleep education programme in improving key sleep behaviours, sleep knowledge, and sleep hygiene. Design and methods: A cross-sectional cluster-randomised controlled trial with two groups (Intervention and Control) and three assessment time points [baseline, immediately post intervention (6 weekspost baseline) and follow-up (18 weeks post baseline)] was employed. A total of 296 students (mean age = 12.2 ± 0.6 years; 59% female) from 12 schools in Adelaide, South Australia, were recruited, with 149 participants in the Intervention group and 147 in the Control group. The intervention consisted of four classroom lessons delivered at weekly intervals, followed by a group project on sleep topics, which students presented at a parental information evening. Sleep patterns were assessed objectively (actigraphy,n = 175) and subjectively (time-use recall, n = 251) at three time points. Sleep knowledge and sleep hygiene (n = 296) were also measured. Results: Generalised estimating equations were used to compare changes in the Intervention and Control groups. The programme increased time in bed by 10 min (p = 0.03) for the Intervention group relative to the Control group, due to a 10-min delay in wake time (p = 0.00). These changes were not sustained at follow-up. There was no impact on sleep knowledge or sleep hygiene. Conclusion: Investment in the sleep health of youth through sleep education is important but changes to sleep patterns are difficult to achieve. More intensive programmes, programmes with a different focus or programmes targeting different age groups may be more effective

Physical activity recommendations from general practitioners in Australia. Results from a national survey

Objective: To identify subgroups of Australian adults likely to receive physical activity advicefrom their general practitioner and to evaluate the content of the advice provided. Methods: Participants (n=1,799), recruited from the Australian Health and Social Science panel, completed an online survey. Signal Detection Analysis was used to identify subgroups that were more/less likely to have received physical activity recommendations. Results: Overall, 18% of participants received a physical activity recommendation from their general practitioner in the past 12 months and eight unique subgroups were identified. The subgroup with the highest proportion (54%) of participants reporting that they received a physical activity recommendation was those with poor physical and mental health-related quality of life and an average daily sitting time of <11 hours. Other subgroups with high proportions of individuals receiving recommendations were characterised by higher weight and/or the presence of co-morbidities. The most commonly prescribed physical activity type was aerobic activity. Few participants received specific physical activity advice. Conclusions: General practitioners are incorporating physical activity promotion into their practice, but primarily as a disease management tool and with limited specificity. Implications: Strategies to assist Australian general practitioners to effectively promote physical activity are needed.</p