BACKGROUND: Sleep duration is an important predictor of obesity and health. We aim to evaluate the association between late bedtime with screen time and the role of geographical deprivation in English schoolchildren.
METHODS: We collected Sleeping & waking times, screen time, socio-demographic data and measured body mass index in a cross-section of 1,332 (45.7% females) 11-15 year old schoolchildren participating in the East of England healthy heart study. Logistic regressions were used to determine the likelihood of late bedtimes in schoolchildren with different screen time and from a different geographic location. Mean differences were assessed either by ANOVA or t-test.
RESULTS: About 42% of males go to bed late at night compared with 37% females. When compared to those with <2hours of daily screen time, schoolchildren who spend 2-4 hours on screen time were more likely 1.50(1.07 to 2.09) to sleep late at night while those with > 4hours of daily screen time were most likely 1.97(1.34 to 2.89) to sleep late at night. Late bedtimes were associated with deprivation in schoolchildren.
CONCLUSIONS: High screen time and deprivation may explain lateness in bedtime in English schoolchildren. This explanation may vary according to area deprivation and geographic location. Family centred interventions and parental support is important to reducing screen time, late bedtimes and sleep duration.