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

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 Bogota?) located at 15, 959, and 2640 m above sea level, respectively. Sociodemo-graphic 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 Bogota? (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, Bogota?, 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. (c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study investigated the frequency of sleep problems in low-income, urban pediatric populations in different altitude cities in Colombia. The findings showed a higher prevalence of sleep problems in children at higher altitudes compared to lower altitudes, emphasizing the importance of early detection and intervention for sleep disorders.