Differences in sleep problems between Japanese and Chinese preschoolers: a cross-cultural comparison within the Asian region

Publication date: Available online 4 January 2018
Source:Sleep Medicine
Author(s): Michio Takahashi, Guanghai Wang, Masaki Adachi, Fan Jiang, Yanrui Jiang, Manabu Saito, Kazuhiko Nakamura
Study objectivesPrevious studies have performed cross-cultural comparisons of differences in childhood sleep problems between Asian and Western countries. However, whether such differences can be observed among Asian countries remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate differences in the pattern of sleep problems between Japanese and Chinese preschoolers.MethodsData were collected from one city in Japan and 10 cities in China. The present study recruited 438 Japanese and 1,020 Chinese preschoolers aged 4 and 5 years. Sleep problems and patterns were assessed based on parental reports using the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ).ResultsAnalysis of covariance revealed no significant difference in total CSHQ scores between Japanese and Chinese preschoolers, indicating that the total severity of sleep problems did not differ between the groups. Japanese preschoolers exhibited higher scores on the bedtime resistance subscale of the CSHQ than Chinese preschoolers. Conversely, Chinese preschoolers exhibited higher subscale scores for night wakings and sleep-disordered breathing. In addition, Japanese preschoolers exhibited earlier bedtimes and wake times, and shorter total sleep times than Chinese preschoolers.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that the patterns of sleep problems in preschoolers differ between Japan and China, and that such differences may be due to differences in co-sleeping practices, bedtime routines, and/or environmental conditions. Thus, investigators studying sleep in preschoolers should consider regional differences in the pattern of sleep problems, even among Asian countries.



from #ORL-AlexandrosSfakianakis via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2CFxEGU