Socioecological factors linked to co-occurring early childhood sleep health disparities and developmental outcomes: protocol for the sleep in preschoolers cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION

Sleep deficiencies, such as sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and insufficient sleep, are linked to adverse health outcomes. These sleep deficiencies are more common in racial and ethnic minoritised children and have significant negative impacts on neurobehavioural and social-emotional development. Non-Latine Black/African American children are 4-6 times more likely than non-Latine White children to experience both SDB and short sleep duration. Although SDB and insufficient sleep often co-occur in young children, there is a paucity of research considering the potential unique and additive impacts of SDB and insufficient sleep on child outcomes, as well as racial disparities in these outcomes, thus hindering comprehensive interventions. Our study objectives are to (1) examine racial disparities in the neurobehavioural and social-emotional impacts of early childhood SDB and/or insufficient sleep and (2) identify proximal and distal socioecological factors linked to these sleep disparities and outcomes.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A cross-sectional observational study comparing neurobehavioural (executive functioning, attention, vigilance) and social-emotional functioning (social skills, emotion regulation) in 400 dyads consisting of caregivers and their otherwise healthy Black and White 3-5 year-old children and divided into four groups: (A) preschoolers with SDB; (B) preschoolers with insufficient sleep; (C) preschoolers with both SDB and insufficient sleep and (D) matched controls. Child SDB, insufficient sleep, neurobehavioural skills and social-emotional functioning are measured using validated objective and subjective assessment tools, with a subset of caregivers completing qualitative interviews. Primary outcomes include individual differences in neurobehavioural and social-emotional functioning in these groups of Black and White preschoolers, and multilevel socioecological factors associated with variation in outcomes. Quantitative data will be analysed using descriptive analyses, linear regression and comparison of model coefficients. Qualitative data will be coded using thematic analysis and a joint display to stratify qualitative themes by child race and sleep deficiencies.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study protocol has been approved by the institutional review board of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Oregon. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conferences.