Validation of Self-Reported Sleep against Actigraphy

Background and Objective: Sleep Diary is the most practical and cost-effective tool for evaluating sleep habits. However, measurement errors are common issues with self report methods in medical research. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a self- report method compared to Actigraph in assessing sleep patterns in children. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on ۲۷۰ children aged ۶ to ۹ years who were selected by multistage sampling in primary schools of Tehran. The sleep patterns during a week were measured using two methods of self- report and Actigraph. The parents were asked to report the sleep pattern of their children. Results: The results of the current study indicated that sleep duration determined through the self- report method was overestimated compared to Actigraph (P=۰.۰۰۱). Parents reported the onset of children sleep significantly earlier than Actigraph (P=۰.۰۰۱). There was no significant difference between self- report and Actigraph for wake -up time. Conclusion: The findings of this study illustrate low accuracy of self- report method for determining sleep duration and sleep onset in children. Although, self report is a valid method for measuring wake -up time in children, it has a low validity for assessing the other components of sleep pattern.

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Keywords: Sleep pattern , Actigraphy , Children