Correlation between sleep problems and physical and mental health among preschool children in Huangshan city

Objective To understand the prevalence of sleep problems among preschool children in Huangshan, and to analyze the association between sleep problems and nutritional status and behavior problems, so as to provide a basic for prevention and controlling work of their sleep problems.Methods A total of 2 395 preschool children were selected in Huangshan.A self-designed questionnaire was completed by the preschool children's parents or the primary caregiver to collect the information including the preschool children's demographics, sleeping problems, behavior problems, and physical growth test and hemoglobin detection.Results About 89.0% of preschool children suffered from sleep problems.And the younger children were more inclined to have the problems of sleeping habit and prolonged sleep latency; The older children were more inclined to have the problems of sleeping duration and daytime sleeping, and the differences in different gender group were of statistical significance (P < 0.05).The children who had the problem of daytime drowsiness were more possible to have lower body weight, and the children who had sleeping duration and daytime drowsiness were more possible to have nutritional anemia, and the differences were of statistical significance (P<0.05).Except for night waking, all other subscale of CSHQ had shown that preschool students with sleeping problems had higher prevalence of internalizing/externalizing problems and total behavior problems than those who without sleeping problems (P< 0.05).Conclusion Preschool children's sleep problems are extremely common, and it is closely related to children's nutritional status, anemia and behavior problems.