Brief report: An epidemiologic survey of the prevalence of sleep disorders among children 2 to 12 years old in Beijing, China.

Objective: This survey was conducted to examine the prevalence of sleep disorders in 2- to 12-year-old children in the Beijing area of China.

Methods: From October 2001 to June 2002, 5979 children 2 to 12 years old in 6 randomly selected counties in Beijing were investigated with questionnaires.

Results: The average total sleep time per day ranged from 11.38 hours among 2-year-olds down to 9.34 hours among 12-year-olds. The overall prevalence of sleep disorders was 21.2% and included parasomnia symptoms (bruxism [6.5%], sleep talking [4.9%], enuresis [1.0%], sleepwalking [0.6%], restless sleep [5.0%], and leg movements [1.9%]) and symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing (frequent snoring [5.6%], mouth breathing [4.1%], choking/gasping [0.9%], and breathing pauses [0.2%]).

Conclusion: The overall prevalence of parent-reported symptoms of sleep disorders in a large sample of children in Beijing, China, was comparable to that reported in other countries, although the prevalence of some specific symptoms differed somewhat.