Parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding healthy sleep hygiene among children in Palestine
- 1Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839 Palestine
- 2Department of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839 Palestine
- 3Department of Scientific Research and Medical Projects, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839 Palestine
Abstract
Background: Children’s sleep hygiene is a modifiable determinant of physical, emotional, behavioral, and academic well-being, yet parental knowledge and home practices remain underexplored in Palestine. This study assessed parental knowledge, practices, attitudes, and child sleep-related characteristics in a Palestinian sample.
Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Palestine between 7 March and 20 April 2026 using a Google Forms questionnaire. The survey covered child and family characteristics, sleep patterns, parental knowledge (15 items), sleep hygiene practices (15 items), sleep-related attitudes (6 items), sleep environment, and information sources. Of 461 responses received, 459 consenting participants were included in the analysis. Total scores were computed for knowledge (0–15), practices (15–75). Attitudes were summarized using frequency distributions for individual items. Implausible parent-age entries (< 18 years) and implausible computed sleep durations (< 4 or > 16 h) were treated as missing for analyses involving those variables. Descriptive statistics, reliability testing, non-parametric bivariate analyses, and multiple linear regression were performed.
Results: A total of 459 parents were analyzed; 96.7% were mothers, making our sample mainly maternal, and the mean child age was 7.30 ± 3.96 years. The mean school-night sleep duration was 9.27 ± 1.39 h, and 60.9% of children with valid school-night data met the 9–11-hour recommendation. Shared-room sleeping with siblings was common (57.5%), and 47.7% of families reported recent stressful circumstances affecting the child’s sleep. The mean knowledge, practices scores were 12.14 ± 2.05 and 54.88 ± 12.51 respectively. In multivariable analyses, higher parental education and prior receipt of sleep information independently predicted higher knowledge scores, whereas low income predicted lower knowledge scores. Better practice scores were independently associated with village/camp residence and previous sleep information, and inversely associated with parental age, low income, and stressful family circumstances.
Conclusion: Palestinian parents in this sample demonstrated generally good sleep-related knowledge but more modest implementation of healthy sleep hygiene practices. Economic strain, stressful family circumstances, and weaker access to sleep information were associated with poorer outcomes. Sleep education for parents, particularly for lower-income families and families living under recent stress, may improve the translation of knowledge into consistent bedtime practices.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-28679-1.
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BibTeX
@article{eleiwi2026parental,
title = {{Parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding healthy sleep hygiene among children in Palestine}},
author = {Malak Eleiwi and Aiman Daifallah and Lana Malhis and Dima Malhis and Ruba Omar and Noora Saayda and Enas Saayda and Haya Adel Jaradat},
journal = {BMC Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12889-026-28679-1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-28679-1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding healthy sleep hygiene among children in Palestine
AU - Malak Eleiwi
AU - Aiman Daifallah
AU - Lana Malhis
AU - Dima Malhis
AU - Ruba Omar
AU - Noora Saayda
AU - Enas Saayda
AU - Haya Adel Jaradat
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/27
JO - BMC Public Health
DO - 10.1186/s12889-026-28679-1
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-28679-1
AB - Background: Children’s sleep hygiene is a modifiable determinant of physical, emotional, behavioral, and academic well-being, yet parental knowledge and home practices remain underexplored in Palestine. This study assessed parental knowledge, practices, attitudes, and child sleep-related characteristics in a Palestinian sample. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Palestine between 7 March and 20 April 2026 using a Google Forms questionnaire. The survey covered child and family characteristics, sleep patterns, parental knowledge (15 items), sleep hygiene practices (15 items), sleep-related attitudes (6 items), sleep environment, and information sources. Of 461 responses received, 459 consenting participants were included in the analysis. Total scores were computed for knowledge (0–15), practices (15–75). Attitudes were summarized using frequency distributions for individual items. Implausible parent-age entries (< 18 years) and implausible computed sleep durations (< 4 or > 16 h) were treated as missing for analyses involving those variables. Descriptive statistics, reliability testing, non-parametric bivariate analyses, and multiple linear regression were performed. Results: A total of 459 parents were analyzed; 96.7% were mothers, making our sample mainly maternal, and the mean child age was 7.30 ± 3.96 years. The mean school-night sleep duration was 9.27 ± 1.39 h, and 60.9% of children with valid school-night data met the 9–11-hour recommendation. Shared-room sleeping with siblings was common (57.5%), and 47.7% of families reported recent stressful circumstances affecting the child’s sleep. The mean knowledge, practices scores were 12.14 ± 2.05 and 54.88 ± 12.51 respectively. In multivariable analyses, higher parental education and prior receipt of sleep information independently predicted higher knowledge scores, whereas low income predicted lower knowledge scores. Better practice scores were independently associated with village/camp residence and previous sleep information, and inversely associated with parental age, low income, and stressful family circumstances. Conclusion: Palestinian parents in this sample demonstrated generally good sleep-related knowledge but more modest implementation of healthy sleep hygiene practices. Economic strain, stressful family circumstances, and weaker access to sleep information were associated with poorer outcomes. Sleep education for parents, particularly for lower-income families and families living under recent stress, may improve the translation of knowledge into consistent bedtime practices. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-28679-1.
SN - 1471-2458
ER -