Sleep and Nature: Greenspace and OutdOor Time to Promote Sleep Health in Early Childhood (SNOOSE) - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Poor sleep health in early childhood is implicated in immediate behavioral, cognitive, and physical health outcomes, as well as long-term risk of obesity and cardiovascular morbidity. Over one-third (37%) of U.S. children aged 3-5 years report receiving inadequate sleep, with children from families facing economic adversity disproportionately affected. This is particularly concerning as early childhood sleep patterns persist into adolescence and adulthood, further compounding sleep-associated cardiometabolic outcomes and existing health gaps. School-based interventions offer a scalable approach to improve sleep as they provide opportunities for physical activity and naps. Outdoor-based preschools, where the majority (80%) of a child’s day is spent outside, may further promote sleep health by increasing access to greenspace, which can improve sleep duration, quality and efficiency through mechanisms such as greater physical activity and reduced air pollution. However, research on outdoor-based preschools as a system-level approach to increase greenspace exposure and promote sleep health remains scare, and existing studies are limited by cross-sectional designs, population- level analyses, and reliance on satellite-based geospatial approaches, which capture greenspace availability without accounting for the greenspace a child can physically see or access. Google Street View (GSV) imagery is a large, publicly accessible data resource, which can accurately characterize built environment characteristics, and thus, help capture visual greenspace exposure and accessibility at home and school settings. In this project, “Sleep and Nature: greenspace and OutdOor time to promote Sleep health in Early childhood” (SNOOSE), we will use innovative GSV data, to examine the relationship between greenspace and sleep health among preschoolers, and the role of environmental factors and individual behaviors on observed associations. SNOOSE specific aims are to: 1) evaluate independent and joint effects of GSV greenspace exposure and air pollution on longitudinal changes in sleep health, and evaluate modification by economic adversity; 2) estimate the association between GSV greenspace accessibility and longitudinal changes in sleep health, and evaluate modification by economic adversity; and 3) examine physical activity as a mediator of the relationship between greenspace exposure and sleep health. By using innovative measures of individual-level greenspace exposure, alongside objective sleep outcomes, SNOOSE will guide built-environment strategies and policies aimed at increasing greenspace access in home and school settings – critical steps to promote sleep health and reduce subsequent cardiometabolic outcomes during the most formative stages of child development. Simultaneously, SNOOSE will provide advanced training in geospatial modeling, pediatric sleep epidemiology, and scientific writing for the applicant. Together, these competencies will lay the foundation for an independent research career at the nexus of pediatric sleep and environmental epidemiology, aligning with long-term applicant career goals.
