Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study investigates sociodemographic and environmental correlates of sleep duration among school-aged children. DESIGN & SETTING: The New York City 2009 Child Community Health Survey was analyzed using weighted regression analyses. PARTICIPANTS: 1293 Asian, Black, Latino and White children ages 6-12 years, 999 children in Pre-K - 5th grade and 294 children in the 6th-8th grades. MEASUREMENTS: Parents/guardians completed a survey about the target child's sleep duration on a typical school night/day, and sociodemographic and household characteristics. RESULTS: Most children (89.3%) met the National Sleep Foundation's (NSF) recommendation of 9-11 h of sleep per night. Pre-K-5th grade children who were born in the United States were less likely than children born outside of the United States to sleep 9-11 h. When sleep duration was examined continuously, children slept an average of 9 h 44 min. On average, with each additional year of age, children slept 7.2 min less than children who were one year younger. Although there were no differences among ethnic/racial groups in sleeping the recommended 9-11 h/night, when sleep duration was measured as a continuous variable, Asian, Latino, and Black children slept an average of 23, 14, and 17 min fewer, respectively, than White children, adjusting for sociodemographic and environmental factors. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep duration varied across sociodemographic groups of children in New York City in 2009. Future studies should determine causal influences and whether these differences persist.