Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research Centre (EDOR) members have teamed up to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature around sleep interventions during childhood. Their findings have recently been published in the international journal Sleep Medicine reviews.
The Sleep Medicine review focused on the effect of interventions on sleep duration in 0-5 year old children. Collectively, interventions were found to modestly increase nocturnal sleep duration in this age group. They also potentially increased total daily (24-hour) sleep duration, but not day-time sleep duration. Interventions which focused solely on improving sleep appeared to be more effective than multi-component interventions which included messages about other health behaviours (such as diet and activity) alongside sleep.
This review by EDOR researchers and colleagues has also been able to provide useful insights for the Moemoeā study team, who are currently developing a sleep toolkit for pēpi and their whānau. Only three of the 32 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) included in the review were designed with cultural considerations in mind, and only one appeared to have been developed in consultation with indigenous communities. Furthermore, most trials were undertaken predominantly in general or socio-economically advantaged communities.
The review findings indicate that opportunities exist for studies such as Moemoeā to take innovative approaches, informed by consultation with indigenous and other disadvantaged groups, and to use novel study designs (such as the Multiphase Optimization Strategy, or 'MOST') to identify the most efficient sleep intervention messages.
Read the sleep review
Do sleep interventions change sleep duration in children aged 0–5 years? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials, Sleep Medicine Reviews, 59:101498.
EDOR co-authors: Louise Fangupo, Jillian Haszard, Andrew Reynolds, Albany Lucas, Deborah McIntosh, Rosalina Richards, Justine Camp, Barbara Galland, Rachael Taylor.
Collaborator: Claire Smith.
Read more about Moemoeā
- Moemoeā - sleep, health, communication, and wellbeing, EDOR website study page
- New funding awarded to develop a sleep toolkit for tamariki and their whānau, 19 November, 2019
- New research to get a better night's sleep for tamariki and their whānau, A Better Start NSC website, 6 October, 2019
Ms Lou Fangupo
Lead author of the sleep review
Dr Justine Camp
Māori lead for Moemoeā