Sleep Patterns and Sleep Problems among Preschool and School-aged Group Children in a Primary Care Setting

Objective: to describe sleep patterns and sleep problems among preschool and school aged groupchildren in a primary care setting in iran.material & methods: this cross sectional study was conducted in two primary care pediatric clinics in tehran from march 2006 to september 2006.findings: sleep patterns of 215 children studied (101 were in preschool age group; 2-6 years old,and 114 were in primary school age group; 7-12 years old). sleep problems were common in studygroup, as follows: bedtime problems 21.05%-56.44%, excessive daytime sleepiness 26.73%-42.98%,awakening during the night 13.86%-32.46%, regularity and duration of sleep 17.54%-27.72%, leepdisordered breathing 10.53%-17.82%.conclusion: these high frequencies of sleep problems in children explains the importance andburden of sleep disorders in children which unfortunately are not noticed by primary care providersin iran and inadequate attention to them may have negative consequences on a host of functionaldomains, including mood, behavior, school performance, and health outcomes.