ArticleNature and science of sleep2021
The Associations Between Media Use, Midpoint of Sleep, and Sleep Quality in German Preschoolers: A Mediation Analysis Based on the Ulm SPATZ Health Study.
Article in Nature and science of sleep, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Tolerability of lopinavir versus dolutegravir in children and adolescents with HIV.AIDS (London, England) · 2026Article
- The Relationship Between Digital Activity and Bedtime, Sleep Duration, and Sleep Quality in Chinese Working Youth.Nature and science of sleep · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe relation of electronic media use with sleep quality among preschoolers is a matter of ongoing debate. Longitudinal data are scarce and do not account for sleeping schedules.
methodsWe used the German Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire to measure parent-reported child's sleep quality; its score is computed by the sum of 34 items defined by a 1-3 level Likert scale (score ranging 34-102), with higher values representing lower sleep quality. A causal mediation analysis of these relations using data from the Ulm SPATZ Health Study in Germany was conducted. Repeated data on electronic media use, book reading, sleep quality, sleep duration, and midpoint of sleep were prospectively collected yearly from ages 4 to 6 years (n=563) during parent's working days and free days.
resultsWe observed negative correlations of sleep quality with sleep duration and midpoint of sleep at ages 4-5 (R=-0.21 to -0.10), which attenuated with age 6 years. Sleep duration and midpoint of sleep were strongly positively correlated at all ages (R=0.55-0.95). We observed significant negative associations between total electronic media use and TV/DVD watching, while book reading did neither affect the sleep quality score nor sleep duration or midpoint of sleep. We found little evidence for an indirect negative effect of media use on sleep quality via sleep duration or midpoint of sleep, indicating that media use acts independently on sleep duration, midpoint of sleep, and sleep quality. Non-statistically significant associations of sleep duration and midpoint of sleep on sleep quality indicate that these are independent aspects of sleep adequacy. Evidence for this was stronger during free days.
conclusionMedia use acted on sleep quality through a direct effect in a prospective fashion. Thus, we conclude that electronic media use increases the risk for sleep impairments in German preschoolers, while book reading seems to be a safe and healthy alternative.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.