positive health

ECHO Researchers Learn How Children’s Sleep Quality Is Associated With Overall Life Satisfaction

Posted on by Jodi Snare

Updated July 21, 2020

Most sleep research focuses on how poor sleep may cause health problems. Taking a different approach, ECHO researcher Courtney Blackwell and her team recently conducted a study to determine how better sleep quality may lead to positive health outcomes. In an article published in Quality of Life Research, Blackwell and team found that better sleep quality in school-age children was associated with lower psychological stress and better general health status, which in turn, predicted better life satisfaction

“Existing literature primarily focuses on the negative impacts of sleep. Our team is excited to contribute to the growing body of research on associations of sleep quality on children’s positive well-being,” said Blackwell.

To conduct this study, ECHO researchers asked parents and caregivers to complete surveys about their children’s sleep quality, general health, stress, and life satisfaction. More than 1,000 caregivers of 5- to 9-year-old children from three ECHO Cohorts participated in this study, creating a diverse population that none of the Cohorts offered individually.

Overall, this study suggests that children whose sleep quality is better experience higher levels of life satisfaction.

For more information, read the study summary.

Bill Fifer: Sleep: Perchance to Find the Earliest Markers and Mediators of Childhood Disease and Positive Health

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Sleep: Perchance to Find the Earliest Markers and Mediators of Childhood Disease and Positive Health

Speaker:

Bill Fifer, PhD

Columbia University Medical Center

 

 

 

 

About the Speaker:

Dr. Fifer’s early work focused on the effects of prenatal experience on infant behavior and perception with a specific interest in the role of fetal and newborn learning. His current research interests focus on fetal and neonatal behavioral, physiological and central nervous system development. Current investigations in his laboratory include studies of fetal, newborn and premature infant neurobehavioral responses to environmental stimulation during sleep and the effects of prenatal exposures on later neurodevelopment. With local, national and international colleagues, his laboratory studies the effects of maternally mediated exposures on the developing fetus, early learning and memory, behavioral and cortical activity during environmental challenges, development of autonomic control during sleep, and assessment of risk adverse outcomes including placental dysfunction, sudden infant death, autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. With local, national and international colleagues he is currently involved in several maternal/fetal/infant longitudinal cohort studies investigating early markers, mediators and mechanisms underlying the origins of health and disease.

Outcome Areas: Positive Health

Date: Wednesday, February 11, 1 to 2pm

Presentation Overview:

Dr. Fifer will discuss sleep and early markers, mediators and mechanisms underlying the origins of health and disease.

Slides

 

 

New ECHO-funded Research Shows Chronic Illnesses in Children Do Not Necessarily Lead to Dissatisfaction

Posted on by Jodi Snare

The ECHO researchers’ findings suggest that children with chronic illnesses are just as happy as their peers who do not have chronic illnesses.

The May 2019 issue of Pediatrics published findings from a recent study by ECHO researchers Courtney Blackwell, Amy Elliott, Jody Ganiban, Julie Herbstman, Kelly Hunt, Chris Forrest, and Carlos Camargo. The publication, titled “General Health and Life Satisfaction in Children With Chronic Illness,” focuses on children’s general health and life satisfaction in the context of chronic illness.

The study found that while children with chronic illnesses have worse health overall, their life satisfaction was comparable with that of their peers without chronic illnesses, suggesting that children with chronic illnesses may still lead happy lives.

As reported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the authors noted, “the current study suggests that having a chronic illness is certainly a health challenge (evidenced by lower parent-reported general health) but does not preclude these children from having happy and satisfying lives that are comparable with those of peers without illness.”

This multi-cohort study evaluated results from questionnaires completed by 1113 caregivers completed on behalf of 1253 children aged 5-9 years with illnesses such as asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and digestive disorders. The study used the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Parent-Proxy measures for Global Health and Life Satisfaction.

Consistent with one of the primary goals of ECHO to leverage existing cohorts through harmonization of extant data and standardization of newly collected data, this study evaluated data from existing cohorts associated with the ECHO Program, with a specific focus on ECHO’s Positive Health outcome area.

“Overall, this work highlights clinical opportunities to broaden the perspective of health beyond the absence of disease to one in which all children, regardless of illness or impairment, can have well-being,” the authors said.

Read the full article to learn more.

Related links:

Link to AAP story