ISSN Print 2713-0878
ISSN Online 2713-0886
BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL OF ERMC EASTERN EUROPEAN
Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee: Pirogov University.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY).
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Sleep disorders in primary school children associated with use of various types of digital devices
About authors
National Medical Research Center for Children's Health, Moscow, Russia
Correspondence should be addressed: Alexander M. Kurgansky
Lomonosovsky Prospekt, 2, bld. 1, Moscow, 119991, Russia; ur.xednay@ksnagruk
About paper
Author contribution: Khramtsov PI — study conceptualization and design; Kurgansky AM, Berezina NO — collection and processing of the material; Kurgansky AM — statistical processing; Khramtsov PI, Chekalova SA, Kurgansky AM, E Antonova EV — article authoring; Khramtsov PI, Chekalova SA, Antonova EV — scientific editing; all authors — approval of the final version of the manuscript.
Compliance with ethical standards: the study was carried out under the State Task "Systemic preventive health-supporting technologies for attendees of educational organizations" (2022–2024), and approved by the Ethics Committee of the National Medical Research Center for Children's Health (protocol No. 3 of March 25, 2021). Each parent signed an informed consent form allowing participation of their children in the study after receiving explanations about the potential risks and benefits, as well as the nature of the study.
Received: 2023-12-07
Accepted: 2024-01-31
Published online: 2024-12-25
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Health of children and adolescents largely depends on the quality of their sleep. However, the effect of digital devices and screen time on thereon have not been studied thoroughly. This study aimed to investigate the influence of digital devices on the sleep quality of primary school children. We surveyed 333 parents of children aged 7–10 years. The questionnaire included questions about the types of digital devices used by children, and frequency and duration of use daily and weekly use. We studied the specifics and quality of sleep of children. It was found that using a laptop for more than an hour a day increases the risk of sleep disorders (RR = 1.87; 95% CI: 1.37–2.54; EF = 46%). Children using a computer every day run a higher risk of nightmares (RR = 4.7; 95% CI: 1.49–15.11; EF = 79%). Neither TV, nor mobile phones were shown to produce such effects. The study has revealed that the type of the device and the patterns of its use (on both daily and weekly levels) are factors in the development of sleep disorders.
Keywords: sleep disorders, health risks, digital devices, children aged 7-10