Behavioral and sociodemographic correlates of sleep duration among children in Samoa

Objectives: To describe sleep duration, adherence to sleep recommendations, and behavioral and sociodemographic correlates of sleep among Samoan children.

Methods: In a longitudinal cohort study of Samoan children aged 2-9years (n = 481; 50% female), primary caregivers reported usual number of hours of nighttime sleep during 2015, 2017/2018, and 2019/2020 data collection waves. Associations between behavioral and sociodemographic characteristics and sleep duration were assessed using generalized linear and mixed effect regressions.

Results: Average reported hours of nighttime sleep for toddlers (age 2) was 9.7 ± 1.1 (SD); for preschoolers (age 3-5) 9.5 ± 1.0, and for school-age children (age 6-9) 9.4 ± 1.3, with 58% of children meeting sleep recommendations. Living in a lower income household was associated with 30 more minutes of sleep for toddlers (adjusted β:0.56 [95% CI: 0.03, 1.09]) and preschoolers (adjusted β:0.51 [95% CI: 0.17, 0.85]), while higher reported physical activity was associated with longer sleep for school-age children (adjusted β:0.49 [95% CI: 0.08, 0.91]). Preschoolers with a primary caregiver who did not complete high school had shorter sleep (β: -0.80 [95% CI: -1.12, -0.48]). Among school-aged children, shorter sleep was associated with greater total carbohydrate intake (for every 100 g/day, β: -0.01 [95% CI: -0.02, 0.01]) and neotraditional dietary pattern adherence (β: -0.27 [95% CI: -0.53, -0.01]).

Conclusions: Efforts should be made to encourage adequate sleep among Samoan children. Correlates of sleep were largely consistent with existing literature. Future research should examine additional culturally and contextually-specific risk factors for insufficient sleep in Samoa and consequences for child health.