In this brief review article, we provide an overview of recent (since 2010) scientific contributions to our understanding of the social and environmental determinants of sleep health. In particular, we focus on three areas where we saw the most contributions to the determinants of sleep health among children, adolescents, and adults. First, studies of neighborhood context and sleep health find that sleep quality and quantity are lower in disadvantaged neighborhoods. These negative associations are often stronger for women than for men. Second, family factors matter for sleep health. Children from families with more parental resources sleep better than do children from families without such resources. Adults with children sleep less than those without, and work-family conflict is an impediment to good sleep. Third, media use is problematic for sleep health. Around the world, higher levels of screen media use are associated with lower quality and quantity of sleep. Future research on the social and environmental determinants of sleep health will grow out of these three areas of current research. In addition, we anticipate new research in the international realm and in the area of interventions designed to improve the population’s sleep health.

Background Insufficient sleep among school-aged children is a growing concern, as numerous studies have shown that chronic short sleep duration increases the risk of poor academic performance and specific adverse health outcomes. We examined the association between weekday nighttime sleep duration and 3 types of screen exposure: television, computer use, and video gaming. Methods We used age 9 data from an ethnically diverse national birth cohort study, the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, to assess the association between screen time and sleep duration among 9-year-olds, using screen time data reported by both the child (n = 3269) and by the child's primary caregiver (n= 2770). Results Within the child-reported models, children who watched more than 2 hours of television per day had shorter sleep duration by approximately 11 minutes per night compared to those who watched less than 2 hours of television (β = −0.18; P < .001). Using the caregiver-reported models, both television and computer use were associated with reduced sleep duration. For both child- and parent-reported screen time measures, we did not find statistically significant differences in effect size across various types of screen time. Conclusions Screen time from televisions and computers is associated with reduced sleep duration among 9-year-olds, using 2 sources of estimates of screen time exposure (child and parent reports). No specific type or use of screen time resulted in significantly shorter sleep duration than another, suggesting that caution should be advised against excessive use of all screens.

No abstract

We examined the association between seafood consumption, mercury concentration, polyunsaturated fatty acids, selenium, and Vitamin D in relation to C-reactive protein using the cross-sectional US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006. We hypothesized that seafood consumption and fatty acids will be negatively associated, and mercury will be positively associated with C-reactive protein, and that statistical adjustment for these factors will alleviate confounding thereby making these associations more apparent. The study sample included 1217 participants (706 males, 511 females) aged 16-49. Sex-stratified sample weighted multiple linear regression models revealed no associations of mercury, polyunsaturated fatty acids, fish intake, selenium, or vitamin D with serum C-reactive protein. However, when all variables were included together in one model, fish intake was associated with lower levels of CRP in females suggesting confounding in models that do not mutually adjust for seafood contaminants and nutrients. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.