Prevalence of common sleep problems in school-aged Saudi students

Sleep is a complex and multi-faceted behavior. Child sleep is identified as a critical marker of health and well-being with a familiar association between sleep duration, and numerous studies have confirmed that improper sleep can lead to obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sleep problems among school-aged children in Riyadh. A total of 122 Saudi students (age range, 5-13 y) from various schools in the capital city were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Of the students recruited, 46.8% were boys, and 53.2% were girls. Baseline characteristics including, body mass index, sleeping problems, and sleep habits, recorded based on questionnaire responses to help identify problematic sleep domains in school-aged children, particularly comorbid sleep disturbances and sleep behaviors. In this study, the most common sleep problem was that the child has difficulty getting out of bed in the morning (63.1%), followed by sleeping too little (40.2%) and restless sleep and moves a lot (34.4%). This study concludes that sleep problems are prevalent among 94.4% of school-aged children (5-13 y). Future studies should be conducted with larger sample sizes. Participation by educational programs and the community is also needed. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by IASE.