OBJECTIVE: To explore sleep health knowledge, perspectives, and experiences in diverse caregivers of school-aged children receiving care from community health care centers to inform clinical practice. METHOD: Mixed-methods study including surveys and semistructured interviews with caregivers of school-aged children were conducted to provide understanding of their sleep beliefs, child sleep disturbances, and home sleep environment. Survey data (n = 19) were summarized descriptively and examined using Fisher exact tests. Qualitative data (n = 21) were analyzed using constant comparative analysis. RESULTS: Survey data indicated a few caregiver misconceptions about sleep health, such as "Most school-aged children need about 8 hours of sleep per night," reported by 95% of caregivers and the belief that "If a child has trouble falling asleep, you should move their bedtime earlier," reported by 84% of caregivers. Four major qualitative themes were identified for caregivers: (1) perceptions of their child's sleep; (2) experiences in the primary care setting regarding their child's sleep health; (3) experiences searching for information about sleep; (4) needed information and resources to help support their child's sleep. CONCLUSION: Findings emphasize the need for (1) health care providers to integrate sleep health education into routine care and (2) the development of sleep health education for diverse caregivers of school-aged children.
Wang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.