The Sleep Environment, Napping, and Sleep Outcomes among Urban Children With and Without Asthma

ABSTRACT

Objectives

Children with asthma living in U.S. urban neighborhoods experience increased risk for asthma morbidity and poor sleep outcomes. In addition to asthma, environmental factors (e.g. noise, uncomfortable temperature, light exposure) related to urban poverty may disturb children’s sleep. This study examined the association between environmental factors and sleep outcomes among urban children with and without asthma, and whether napping underlies the environment-sleep link. Additionally, the study tested whether these associations differed by health status (i.e. asthma) or race/ethnicity.

Method

Participants included urban children aged 7–9 years with (N = 251) and without (N = 130) asthma from Latino, Black, or non-Latino White (NLW) background. Caregivers reported sleep environmental factors and naps. Sleep duration, efficiency, and nightly awakenings were assessed via actigraphy.

Results

Regardless of health status, frequent exposure to noise and light was associated with poorer sleep outcomes only among Latino children. In the full sample with and without asthma, noise exposure during nighttime sleep was related to more frequent daytime naps, which were linked to shorter nighttime sleep duration.

Conclusions

Exposure to noise and light may play a particularly influential role in shaping urban children’s sleep outcomes. Racial/ethnic differences and the potential mediating role of napping in this environment-sleep association may inform tailored interventions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, AY, upon reasonable request.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by NICHD [R01 HD057220; T32 HD101392]. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.