0951 Sleep Practices in Second Through Fourth Grade Students in a Rural Elementary School

Abstract Introduction There is growing recognition of how critical sleep is for children’s health and wellbeing, and the impact sleep habits make. However, many children and families still report unhealthy sleep habits or inadequate sleep. This project aims to describe sleep habits in 8-10 year olds attending an elementary school in a rural area. Methods TigerCHAT is a school-based health education program designed for children in K-6th grades and focused on rural communities. It consists of 45-minute sessions addressing various health topics, including sleep, delivered over 4 weeks. Data are collected after IRB approval. In fall of 2025, nursing students led small groups of students in a sleep educational module during their gym period. Before education began, 171 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students filled out the Pediatric Sleep Practices- Short Form Questionnaire. Results To describe sleep patterns in this population, we analyzed frequencies, percentages, and correlations. The majority of students reported they “sometimes” followed a bedtime routine (43.4%, n=75), always watched TV before bed (33.9%, n= 58) or almost always (26.3%, n=45), and went to bed at the same time every night (always: 45%, n=77; almost always: 32.1%, n=55). Notably, a majority of students reported using a cell phone before bed (67.25%, n=115). Few students reported needing someone there to fall asleep (31%, n=53). There were significant correlations between phone use and having a bedtime routine (p<.001, r=.803), and between gaming before bed and maintaining a consistent bedtime (p<.001, r=.484). Conclusion Children and families may need more guidance on technology use before bed. Although most children reported following a bedtime routine, many of those routines included screen time, which may be an area for future research. Support (if any)