Sleep and the General Behavior of Infants and Parents during the Closure of Schools as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Comparison with 2019 Data

Children

Masako Taniike¹  Ikuko Mohri¹  Yasuaki Shinomiya²  Emi Murata²  Arika Yoshizaki²  TakashiX. Fujisawa³ 

[1] Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan;Molecular Research Center for Children’s Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan;Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan;

关键词: pandemic;    lifestyle;    nursery school;    smartphone;    exercise;   

DOI  :  10.3390/children8020168

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

This study compared cross-sectional data from online surveys describing the sleep behavior of infants and caregivers in March 2020 (the school closure period during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic; n = 295, 23.8 ± 3.8 months old) and March 2019 (before the pandemic; n = 2,017, 24.2 ± 3.8 months old). In comparing those two points in time, no significant differences were found in wake-up times (2019: 7:19 ± 0:46 am vs. 2020: 7:18 ± 0:47 am, p = 0.289), bedtimes (21:01 ± 0:48 pm vs. 21:04 ± 0:53 pm, p = 0.144), or nocturnal sleep times (593.7 ± 43.9 min vs. 588.1 ± 50.3 min, p = 0.613). Regarding the caregivers, in 2020, wake-up times (2019: 6:46 ± 0:50 am vs. 2020: 6:39 ± 0:50 am, p = 0.017) and bedtimes (22:53 ± 1:17 pm vs. 22:42 ± 1:04 pm, p = 0.016) became significantly earlier compared to 2019. Among infants staying at home, total sleep time and percentage of outdoor play decreased significantly, and media use increased significantly in 2020. Lower levels of exercise and more frequent media viewing may have caused prolonged sleep latency in these children. The percentage of caregivers responding with “negative childcare feelings” was significantly higher in the group with less than three nursery school attendance days. Caregivers and infants staying at home are a high-risk group during the pandemic.

【 授权许可】

Unknown