Development and psychometric evaluation of a new instrument for measuring sleep length and television and computer habits of Swedish school-age children

J Sch Nurs. 2012 Apr;28(2):138-43. doi: 10.1177/1059840511420878. Epub 2011 Aug 30.

Abstract

The aim was to develop a new instrument for measuring length of sleep as well as television and computer habits in school-age children. A questionnaire was constructed for use when children visit the school health care unit. Three aspects of the validity of the questionnaire were examined: its face validity, content validity, and construct validity. Test-retest reliability was assessed by giving the questionnaire twice, 2 weeks apart, to the respondents. The questionnaire was assessed as being reasonably valid, the test-retest results (n = 138) showing 90.4% of the estimates regarding bedtime on weeknights on the two survey occasions to lie within ± 30 min of each other, the test-retest agreement also being rather close (κ > .600) regarding both sleep and media habits. The instrument can be a valuable tool in a clinical setting, both for measuring sleep habits in a class and for discussing sleep with individual school children and their families.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Computers / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Polysomnography / methods
  • Polysomnography / standards
  • Psychometrics / methods*
  • Psychometrics / standards
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sleep / physiology*
  • Sweden
  • Television / statistics & numerical data*