Sleep problems in low income, urban pediatric populations living at different altitudes in Colombia

Ruiz, Álvaro J., Rondón Sepúlveda, Martín Alonso, Panqueva Centanaro, Olga Patricia, Waich, Alan, Ruiz, Juanita, Uriza Carrasco, Luis Felipe, Ospina García, Juan Camilo, Hill, Catherine M., Restrepo-Gualteros, Sonia M., Mendoza, Liliana Otero and Hidalgo Martínez, Patricia (2022) Sleep problems in low income, urban pediatric populations living at different altitudes in Colombia. Sleep Medicine, 100, 64-70. (doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2022.07.017).

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of sleep problems in low-income, urban pediatric populations in cities at different altitudes in Colombia. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional population-based observational study was conducted in children aged between 2 and 12 years in the low income, urban areas of three cities in Colombia (Santa Marta, Bucaramanga, and Bogotá) located at 15, 959, and 2640 m above sea level, respectively. Sociodemographic data were collected, and the Spanish version of the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire was used. Results: 1989 children were surveyed, distributed as follows: Santa Marta (32.0%), Bucaramanga (33.4%), and Bogotá (34.6%). The overall prevalence of sleep problems was 39.0%. Children from Santa Marta had the highest frequency of parasomnias (58.0%); those from Bucaramanga had the highest frequency of attention deficit symptoms (4.0%) and apneic pauses witnessed by parents or caregivers (5.7%). Finally, Bogotá, the only high-altitude location, had the highest frequency of sleep disordered breathing (17.2%). Conclusions: The study found a high frequency of sleep problems in the pediatric population, especially at higher altitudes when compared to lower altitude settings. Sleep disorders warrant early detection and timely therapeutic intervention.

This record has no associated files available for download.

Contributors

Download statistics