Study of Sleep Problems in Hong Kong Children With Cancer Compared to Healthy Children and Those With Other Chronic Illnesses

What this Trial Is About

Sleep disturbances are common in children with chronic illnesses, but how cancer specifically affects sleep in children is less understood. This study aims to examine how often and how severely sleep problems occur in Chinese children with cancer compared to healthy children and those with other chronic diseases. Researchers plan to use validated sleep assessment tools and reports from parents to identify unique sleep challenges faced by children with cancer, with the hope of guiding personalized care strategies. The study will include 150 children aged 6 to 18 years divided into three groups children with cancer, children with other chronic illnesses such as asthma or diabetes, and healthy children without chronic illness or psychiatric disorders. Participants with cancer will be hospitalized and receiving active treatment like chemotherapy or radiation, while those with other illnesses will also be hospitalized and under active management. Healthy children will be recruited from siblings of patients or children of hospital staff. Data collection will involve sleep quality assessments and health-related quality of life measures. Participants and their parents will provide information on sleep patterns using tools like the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Researchers will also gather demographic and clinical details including age, gender, socioeconomic status, disease type and status, and medication use to understand factors influencing sleep. The primary outcomes focus on sleep quality and overall health-related quality of life over one month. The study aims to reveal differences in sleep problems among these groups and how these relate to well-being in children with cancer.

Cross-sectional Study of Sleep Disturbance in Hong Kong Children With Cancer Comparing With Healthy Counterparts and Children With Other Chronic Diseases