ECHO Study Finds Disparities across Racial, Ethnic Groups in Sleep Duration, Quality During Pregnancy

Author(s): Maristella Lucchini, et al.

Who sponsored this study?

This research was supported by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health.

What were the study results?

Non-Hispanic Black/African American participants slept less and reported more sleep disturbances compared with non-Hispanic White participants. Hispanic participants slept longer, had better sleep quality, and fewer sleep disturbances compared with non-Hispanic White participants.

Footnote: Results reported here are for a single study. Other or future studies may provide new information or different results. You should not make changes to your health without first consulting your healthcare professional.

What was the study's impact?

This study is the first to investigate and report differences in pregnant individuals’ sleep quality across racial and ethnic groups. If these results are replicated in other studies, they may suggest the need for targeted interventions to improve sleep health in pregnancy.

Why was this study needed?

Pregnant women from racial/ethnic minority groups are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy, and poor sleep during pregnancy is known to increase the risk of poor maternal health. People from racial/ethnic minority groups often experience worse sleep compared to non-Hispanic White people, but little is known about differences in sleep during pregnancy.

The objective of this study was to examine whether sleep differences during pregnancy among racial/ethnic groups was a factor that contributed to racial/ethnic disparities in overall maternal health outcomes.

Who was involved?

Researchers analyzed information from 2500 pregnant individuals from 14 ECHO cohorts across the United States who reported on their sleep habits during pregnancy. Participants self-reported race and ethnicity were grouped into Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black/African American, and non-Hispanic Asian individuals.

What happened during the study?

Participants completed questionnaires during pregnancy to report on their sleep duration, quality, and disturbances. Other information collected included maternal education level, pre-pregnancy weight, height, and age.

The researchers evaluated the association between sleep duration, quality, and disturbances in each pregnancy trimester across racial/ethnic groups.

What happens next?

Future studies should research what factors contribute to these sleep disparities at a personal level, family level, and beyond. They should also explore to what extent differences in sleep duration, quality, and disturbances might contribute to disparities in maternal and child health outcomes across racial/ethnic groups.

Where can I learn more?

Access the full journal article, titled “Racial/ethnic disparities in subjective sleep duration, sleep quality and sleep disturbances during pregnancy: an ECHO study” in Sleep.

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Published June 21, 2022

Read the associated article.

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ECHO Study Finds Disparities across Racial, Ethnic Groups in Sleep Duration, Quality During Pregnancy

Better Sleep Quality Is Linked to Lower Levels of Stress and Better General Health in Children

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Better Sleep Quality Is Linked to Lower Levels of Stress and Better General Health in Children

Author: Courtney K. Blackwell

Who sponsored this study?

This research was supported by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health.

What were the study results?

Results suggested better sleep quality was connected with lower levels of stress and better general health. This, in turn, predicted higher levels of life satisfaction. Findings remained stable for a subsample of children with the poorest sleep quality.

*Results reported here are for a single study. Other or future studies may provide new information or different results. You should not make changes to your health without first consulting your healthcare professional.

What was the study's impact?

Children who sleep well have happier lives than those who do not sleep as well. Given the varying nature of children’s sleep quality, this study offers findings to inform future studies that want to test specific ways to improve children’s well-being. Ways to improve sleep may include education programs for parents that teach parents how to prevent things that keep children from sleeping well (e.g., ways to lower screen time in the hour before bed). Other ideas may include looking at how elementary school start times affect children’s sleep quality.

Why was this study needed?

Sleep quality is important to children’s health and well-being. Until now, research has focused on how poor sleep may cause health problems. The current study explored if and how better sleep quality may lead to positive health in children.

Who was involved?

More than 1000 caregivers of 5- to 9-year-old children from 3 ECHO Program cohorts participated in this study. Participants were from different places in the United States, had different financial backgrounds and 10% were of Hispanic origin.

What happened during the study?

Between March and December 2017, caregivers completed surveys about their children’s sleep quality, general health, stress, and life satisfaction.

What happens next?

This study provides early evidence on the ways better sleep can improve the lives of children. Future research with more diverse samples can make these findings apply to more people. Additionally, measures to try with younger children are available so that we can see how this affects children younger than 5.

Where can I learn more?

Access the full journal article, titled “Better sleep, better life? How sleep quality influences children's life satisfaction.”

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Published: September 29, 2020

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Better Sleep Quality Is Linked to Lower Levels of Stress and Better General Health in Children

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

Posted on June 1, 2020June 7, 2023 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

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

ECHO

Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes

sleep