Frontiers in Sleep · Published 2026-07-24 · DOI 10.3389/frsle.2026.1876293
Alicia Chung, Monica Stanton-Koko, Willa Johnson, Azizi Seixas, Debbie Chung, Iheoma U. Iruka, Laurie Brotman, Keng-Yen Huang, Girardin Jean-Louis
IntroductionYoung Black children experience poorer sleep health than children from other racial/ethnic groups. Tailored family-centered interventions are needed to improve sleep health among young Black children. Tailoring requires information about parent perceptions, practices and context. The purpose of this study was to (1) understand the contextual definition of sleep health for Black families; (2) bedtime routines and sleep practices among Black families; and (3) parent preferences that may inform intervention design.MethodsWe engaged 30 Black parents of 3–8-year-old children with mild sleep problems (e.g., child takes >30 min to fall asleep at bedtime) in this study. Parents completed three ratings scales about sleep health practices and child bedtime behavior and a semi-structured interview. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and correlations. We used an implementation science rapid qualitative analysis approach to analyze qualitative data from the interviews.ResultsThe final sample identified as 52% African-American, 14% Jamaican, 10% Haitian, and 26% mixed multi-ethnic groups. Parent mean age was 41 years and child mean age were 5 years old. About 80% of responders were women. About one-third of the sample held a doctoral degree, and half the sample had a bachelor's or Master's degree. Parents answered 56% of sleep knowledge questions accurately (ranging from 32 to 100%) and reported an average of two sleep problems. Parents described healthy sleep as involving flexibility in sleep timing and bedtime routines. More than half of parents reported co-sleeping practices, with reasons ranging from a strategy to address night wakings, to a way to preserve bonding. Later child bedtime (after 9 pm) was associated with bedtime resistance, permissive parenting, and parent stress. Many parents reported that they had poor sleep quality and duration.DiscussionFindings elucidate a range of factors to consider in tailoring sleep health interventions for Black families of young children. These include the common practice of co-sleeping, parents' value for flexibility related to bedtime and bedtime routines, and parents' own challenges with getting enough and good quality sleep. Tailored family-centered interventions will benefit from considering these factors.
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Chung, A., Stanton-Koko, M., Johnson, W., et al. (2026). Sleep health in black families: bedtime routines and sleep patterns among young children. Frontiers in Sleep. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsle.2026.1876293