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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Behav Sleep Med. 2014 Oct 14;14(2):140–154. doi: 10.1080/15402002.2014.963584

Start Later, Sleep Later: School Start Times and Adolescent Sleep in Homeschool vs. Public/Private School Students

Lisa J Meltzer a, Keisha Shaheed b, Devon Ambler a
PMCID: PMC4397108  NIHMSID: NIHMS628211  PMID: 25315902

Abstract

Homeschool students provide a naturalistic comparison group for later/flexible school start times. This study compared sleep patterns and sleep hygiene for homeschool students and public/private school students (grades 6-12). Public/private school students (n=245) and homeschool students (n=162) completed a survey about sleep patterns and sleep hygiene. Significant school group differences were found for weekday bedtime, wake time, and total sleep time, with homeschool students waking later and obtaining more sleep. Homeschool students had later school start times, waking at the same time that public/private school students were starting school. Public/private school students had poorer sleep hygiene practices, reporting more homework and use of technology in the hour before bed. Regardless of school type, technology in the bedroom was associated with shorter sleep duration. Later school start times may be a potential countermeasure for insufficient sleep in adolescents. Future studies should further examine the relationship between school start times and daytime outcomes, including academic performance, mood, and health.

Keywords: Sleep, adolescent, homeschool, school start time

Insufficient sleep duration in adolescents is common, negatively impacting cognitive functioning, emotion regulation and health (Beebe, 2011; Drake et al., 2003; Fallone, Owens, & Deane, 2002; Galland, Taylor, Elder, & Herbison, 2012; Gibson et al., 2006; Gradisar, Gardner, & Dohnt, 2011; Nixon et al., 2008; Sadeh, Gruber, & Raviv, 2002). While biological sleep needs may not significantly change throughout adolescence, actual sleep duration is significantly reduced, with high school seniors commonly obtaining fewer than 7 hours of sleep per night (National Sleep Foundation, 2006; National Sleep Foundation, 2014; Wolfson et al., 2003). One factor that contributes to insufficient sleep in adolescents is the intersection between early school start times and delayed bedtimes (due to physiological changes to the circadian rhythm, as well as academic and social demands) (Carskadon, Vieira, & Acebo, 1993; Danner & Phillips, 2008; Dexter, Bijwadia, Schilling, & Applebaugh, 2003; Hansen, Janssen, Schiff, Zee, & Dubocovich, 2005; Moore & Meltzer, 2008; Owens, Belon, & Moss, 2010; Wahlstrom, 2002; Wolfson, Spaulding, Dandrow, & Baroni, 2007). To compensate for insufficient sleep, many youth will “sleep in” on weekends. However, weekend oversleep can cause “social jetlag,” which further contributes to insufficient sleep during the week by dysregulating the circadian rhythm and prolonging school night sleep onset latency (Wittmann, Dinich, Merrow, & Roenneberg, 2006).

A number of studies have shown the benefits of delayed school start times for both middle and high school students (Danner & Phillips, 2008; Owens et al., 2010; Wahlstrom, 2002; Wahlstrom et al., 2014; Wolfson et al., 2007), including a longer weeknight sleep duration and less sleepiness during the day (Dexter et al., 2003; Owens et al., 2010; Wolfson et al., 2007). Recent reports have found that later school start times were also associated with improved academic functioning (Edwards, 2012; Wahlstrom et al., 2014). Other outcomes include better attendance, less tardiness, improved health and mood, and fewer drowsy driving accidents (Danner & Phillips, 2008; Owens et al., 2010; Wahlstrom, 2002; Wolfson et al., 2007). Concerns that later school start times would cause later bedtimes have not been supported, highlighting that increased sleep duration for these youth is a result of later wake times (Wahlstrom, 2002; Wolfson et al., 2007).

Unlike their public or private school peers, youth who are homeschooled do not have to wake early to catch the bus or get to school. How this difference is related to sleep, however, has not previously been studied. The prevalence of homeschool youth in the United States has rapidly increased in recent years (2-8% per year), with approximately 2 million youth homeschooled in the U.S. in 2010 (Ray, 2011). The most common reasons reported for homeschooling in the U.S. are the quality of local schools, religious beliefs, and the ability to customize the learning environment (National Center for Education Statistics, 2008; Ray, 2011). In short, homeschool youth provide a naturalistic comparison group for public/private school students in the examination of sleep patterns.

Along with sleep patterns (i.e., bedtimes and wake times), aspects of sleep hygiene, namely caffeine use and electronics in the bedroom, also contribute to insufficient sleep in adolescents (Calamaro, Thornton, & Ratcliffe, 2009; Li et al., 2007). As many families choose to homeschool for religious reasons (National Center for Education Statistics, 2008; Ray, 2011), and increased parental supervision is seen among youth with religious affiliations (Wallace, 2003), it is possible that homeschool students may differ in their sleep hygiene habits (e.g., less access to caffeine at home than at public school, caffeine not consumed for religious reasons, less use of television or internet at night).

The purpose of the current study was to compare the sleep patterns and sleep hygiene of homeschool students and public/private school students. Our primary hypotheses were: (1) homeschool students will obtain greater sleep duration due to later wake times; (2) homeschool students will have more positive sleep hygiene practices, and (3) for all students, poorer sleep hygiene will be related to shorter sleep duration. Secondary aims were to characterize homeschool vs. public/private school students napping patterns, as well as examine depressive symptoms as a possible outcome related to school start times and sleep duration.

METHODS

Participants and Study Design

Homeschool students were recruited through the Homeschool.com Product Test group, a group of approximately 10,000 homeschool families that is demographically representative of homeschool families in the U.S. (R. Kochenderfer, personal written communication 8/8/11). Members of the Product Test group are invited to review new online educational materials, with both students and parents providing feedback. Following completion of the homeschool data collection, public/private school students were invited by an internet panel research company to complete an online survey, with a quota system used to match the homeschool sample on gender, region of the United States, and grade. For both groups (Homeschool.com and internet panel), potential participants received an email invitation. Although families may have had more than one eligible child in the home, only one survey per household was allowed. All surveys were completed during the 2011-2012 and the 2012-2013 school years. Online survey panels have been shown to be reliable and valid compared to telephone and in-person surveys (Bethell, Fiorillo, Lansky, Hendryx, & Knickman, 2004; Klein, Thomas, & Sutter, 2007), and have been used in a variety of health-related research studies (Cella et al., 2010; Flood et al., 2010; Flood et al., 2011; Long, 2007). This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at National Jewish Health.

Because the survey was sent out by Homeschool.com and the internet panel company, it is unknown how many people received the invitation. Of the 1076 families who viewed the survey consent page, 592 (55%) started the survey, with 161 (27%) of these participants ineligible due to matching quotas for region, gender, and grade. Of the 431 respondents who completed the survey, 24 (5.6%, 14 public/private school students and 10 homeschool students) were omitted from analyses due to obvious invalid responses (e.g., negative calculated sleep duration), resulting in a total sample size of 407 adolescents (245 public/private school students and 162 homeschool students). There were no significant demographic differences between those who were included and those who were excluded.

Sleep

Questions about sleep patterns and sleep hygiene were developed by pediatric sleep experts for the 2006 (grades 6-12) National Sleep Foundation (NSF) Sleep in America poll (Carskadon, 2011). The survey included two parts (see Appendix). First, caregivers were asked about the presence of different types of technology in the adolescent’s bedroom and school start time. Adolescents were then asked a separate series of questions about their own sleep patterns and sleep hygiene (i.e., caffeine use and activities in the hour before bed). Total sleep time was calculated from adolescent report as the duration from bedtime to wake time, less sleep onset latency and wake after sleep onset. One question queried caffeine use. Five questions were used to inquire about depressive symptoms over the past two weeks (Wolfson & Carskadon, 1998).

Statistical Analysis

Preliminary analyses included descriptive statistics for full sample demographic variables. Group (public/private school vs. homeschool) differences on demographic variables were examined using independent sample t-tests for continuous variables and chi-square analyses for categorical variables. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to compare sleep patterns (bedtime, wake time, and total sleep time) for the two school groups and across grade level. Chi-square analyses were used to compare the two school groups on the presence/absence of caffeine use and technology in the bedroom (television, computer, or phone). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) controlling for group was used to examine differences in sleep patterns by categorical variables, including school start time and the presence/absence of a television, computer or phone in the bedroom. To control for multiple analyses, findings were considered significant if p < .005.

RESULTS

Participants

The full sample had a mean age of 13.6 years (SD=1.7, range 11-17 years), and was 51.4% male and 81.6% White (Black 5.9%, Hispanic 5.2%). Table 1 presents demographic information for both groups. There were no significant demographic differences between groups.

Table 1.

Demographic Variables

Public/Private
School (n=245)		 Homeschool
(n=162)		 Test Statistic p
Age yrs (SD) 13.7 (1.6) 13.4 (1.8) t(405) = 1.90 .06
Gender X2(1) = 0.42 .40
 Male 53.1% 48.9%
Race X2(3) = 4.23 .24
 White 79.6% 84.6%
 Black 7.3% 3.7%
 Hispanic 4.5% 6.2%
 Other 8.6% 5.6%
Region X2(3) = 2.71 .44
 Northeast 15.1% 13.0%
 South 27.3% 34.6%
 Midwest 31.8% 27.2%
 West 25.7% 25.3%
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Weekday Sleep Patterns

No group-by-grade interactions were found for weekday sleep patterns. Significant school group differences were found for weekday bedtime, weekday wake time, and weekday total sleep time (all p <.001), with public/private school students going to bed 39 minutes earlier but waking 85 minutes earlier than homeschool students (Table 2). This resulted in public/private school students obtaining 49 minutes less total sleep time than homeschool students on weekdays. Significant grade differences were found in terms of weekday bedtime and weekday total sleep time, with bedtimes getting later and total sleep time shorter with advancing grade (p<.001, Figure 1).

Table 2.

Means and Standard Error for Weekday and Weekend Sleep Patterns by School Group

WEEKDAY Public/Private Homeschool
Mean SE Mean SE F(1,393) p η p 2
Bedtime 21:59 0:04 22:38 0:05 13.81 <.001 .03
Wake Time 06:31 0:04 07:56 0:05 181.61 <.001 .32
Total Sleep Time 8.10 0.08 8.92 0.09 48.68 <.001 .11
WEEKEND Public/Private Homeschool
Mean SE Mean SE F(1,393) p η p 2
Bedtime 23:15 0:06 23:25 0:06 1.30 .26 .003
Wake Time 09:16 0:07 09:28 0:08 1.35 .25 .003
Total Sleep Time 9.57 0.10 9.45 0.12 .56 .45 .001
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Note. Bedtimes and wake times reported in military clock time, total sleep time in hours. ηp2 is a measure of effect size (small = .02, medium = .13, large = .26)

Figure 1.

Figure 1

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Weekday Bedtime and Weekday Total Sleep Time (Hours) by Grade

Note. Shaded grey diamonds (◆) show the increasingly later bedtime that occurs with advancing grade, while the black squares (■) show the decrease in total sleep time with advancing grade. Significant difference in weekday bedtime, F(6,393)=18.05, p<.001, ηp2 = .22, and weekday total sleep time, F(6,393)=17.01, p<.001, ηp2 = .21.

Weekend Sleep Patterns

No group-by-grade interactions were found for weekend sleep patterns. No significant school group differences were found for weekend bedtime, weekend wake time, or weekend total sleep time (Table 2). A significant grade difference was found for both weekend bedtimes and weekend wake times, suggesting later bedtimes and later wake times with advancing grade (p<.001, Figure 2). No grade difference was found for weekend total sleep time, F(1,392)=1.34, p=.24. As a proxy measure of circadian phase, mid-sleep period was calculated. No group difference was found for mid-sleep period, F(1,404)=1.46, p=.23. However, a significant grade difference was found, suggesting a later mid-sleep period with advancing grade, F(6,399)=15.08, p<.001.

Figure 2.

Figure 2

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Weekend Bedtime and Weekend Wake Time by Grade

Note. Shaded grey diamonds (◆) show the increasingly later bedtime that occurs with advancing grade, while the black squares (■) show the increasing later wake time with advancing grade. Significant difference in weekend bedtime, F(1,392)=16.74, p<.001, ηp2 = .20, and weekend wake time, F(1,392)=8.28, p<.001, ηp2 =.11.

To examine weekend oversleep, the difference between weekday and weekend total sleep time was calculated. For weekend oversleep, a significant difference was found for both school group and grade, with public/private school students having greater weekend oversleep (88 minutes vs. 32 minutes for homeschool students), F(1,392)=31.28, p<.001, ηp2 = .07, and weekend oversleep getting greater with advancing grade (24 minutes in 6th grade, 129 minutes in 12th grade), F(1,392)=5.20, p<.001, ηp2 = .07.

Napping and Optimal Sleep

No group-by-grade interaction was found for napping (number of days in past two weeks). A significant school group difference was found for napping, suggesting that public/private school students nap more frequently than homeschool students (1.52 vs. 0.83 days napped in past two weeks), F(1,392)=9.61, p=.002, ηp2 = .02. In addition, nap frequency increased with grade (days napped in past two weeks: 0.57 in 6th grade, 2.12 in 12th grade), F(1,392)=4.66, p<.001, ηp2 = .07.

Using the National Sleep Foundation’s categories of “optimal sleep” (>9 hours) and “insufficient sleep” (<8 hours) (National Sleep Foundation, 2006), a significant school group difference was found, with only 28.2% of public/private school students obtaining optimal sleep on weekday nights compared to 58.0% of homeschool students, χ2(2)= 41.33, p<.001, phi = .32. Notably, 34.3% of public/private school students obtained insufficient sleep on weekday nights compared to only 12.1% of homeschool students.

School Start Times

There was a significant difference between school types for school start times, with later start times (mean=9:00 a.m.) for the homeschool students compared to the public/private school students (mean=7:57 a.m.), t(213)=-13.70, p<.001, Cohen’s d = 1.3. Notably, the public/private school start time was nearly identical to the average wake time of homeschool students (mean=7:56 a.m.). In other words, homeschool youth were waking up to start their day around the time public/private school students were starting school.

To address potential dose response effects of school start time on sleep duration, we examined the difference in sleep variables for students who started school before 8:00 a.m., between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m., between 8:31 and 9:00 a.m., and after 9:00 a.m. (Table 3). Students who started school after 9:00 a.m. had a significantly later bedtime than the other three groups, with wake time significantly later for each later school start time category. This resulted in longer total sleep duration with later school start time (before 8:00 a.m. compared to 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. difference of 25 minutes, 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. compared to 8:31 – 9:00 a.m. difference of 26 minutes).

Table 3.

Means and Standard Error for Weekday Sleep Patterns by School Start Time and the Presence/Absence of Technology in the Bedroom

SCHOOL START
TIME 		Before 8:00 a.m.
(n=106) 		8:00 – 8:30 a.m.
(n=177) 		8:31 – 9:00 a.m.
(n=74) 		After 9:00 a.m.
(n=50)
Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE F(1,402) p η p 2
Bedtime 21:46 0:06 21:48 0:04 21:55 0:07 22:39 0:09 9.63 <.001 .07
Wake Time 6:03 0:04 6:51 0:03 7:29 0:05 8:40 0:06 99.82 <.001 .43
Total Sleep Time 8.16 0.11 8.57 0.08 9.01 0.13 9.32 0.16 13.27 <.001 .09
CAFFEINATED
BEVERAGESa 		None (n=187) One per day
(n=123) 		More than one/day
(n=97)
Mean SE Mean SE Mean SE F(1,404) p η p 2
Bedtime 21:42 0:04 22:03 0:05 22:10 0:06 9.24 <.001 .04
Wake Time 07:03 0:04 07:06 0:06 07:10 0:07 0.20 .82 .001
Total Sleep Time 8.83 1.11 8.51 1.19 8.42 1.11 6.99 <.001 .03
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Note. Bedtimes and wake times reported in military clock time, total sleep time in hours. ηp2 is a measure of effect size (small = .02, medium = .13, large = .26)

a

Post-hoc analyses (controlling for school group) show significantly later bedtimes for both caffeine use groups compared to no caffeine, as well as significantly shorter sleep duration for both caffeine use groups compared to no caffeine

Depressive Symptoms

There was no significant difference between school groups for depressive symptoms scores (homeschool mean = 7.15, public/private school mean = 6.84), t(405) = -1.36, p=.17. While depressive symptoms were not correlated with school start time for either group (public/private r = −.05; homeschool r = .05), depressive symptoms were significantly correlated with weekday total sleep time for public/private school students (r = −.23, p<.001), but not for homeschool students (r = −.11, p=.18), suggesting that public/private school students with shorter sleep duration report more depressive symptoms.

Sleep Hygiene

Public/private school students reported engaging in poorer sleep habits compared to homeschool students. Specifically, in the hour before bed, compared to homeschool students, more public/private school students reported doing homework, X2(1) = 44.1, p < .001, phi = −.33, watching television, X2(1) = 12.2, p < .001, phi = −.17, talking on the phone, X2(1) = 13.9, p < .001, phi = −.19, and using the internet, X2(1) = 29.6, p < .001, phi = −.27. Although not a statistically significant difference, homeschool students reported more leisure reading in the hour before bed compared to public/private school students, X2(1) = 7.5, p = .006, phi = .14. No group difference was found for the use of video games in the hour before bed, X2(1) = .43, p = .51, phi = −.03.

In terms of technology in the bedroom, although not statistically different, public/private school students were more likely than homeschool students to have televisions, computers, and phones in the bedroom (Table 4). Controlling for group, adolescents with a TV in the bedroom reported 11 minutes less total sleep on weekday nights; adolescents with a computer in the bedroom reported 17 minutes less total sleep on weekday nights; and adolescents with a telephone in the bedroom reported 26 minutes less total sleep on weekday nights.

Table 4.

Frequency and Percent of Students with Technology in the Bedroom and Total Sleep Time for Students With/Without Technology in the Bedroom

Public/Private
School 		Homeschool Total Sleep
Time
n % n % Mean SE
Television in Bedroom X2(1)=7.20, p=.008,
Φ=.13		 F(1,404)=3.01, p=.08,
ηp2 = .007
Yes 136 55.5 68 42.0 8.54 0.08
No 109 44.5 94 58.0 8.73 0.08
Computer in Bedroom X2(1)=3.52, p=.06,
Φ=.09		 F(1,404)=6.33 p=.01,
ηp2 = .02
Yes 98 40.0 50 30.9 8.46 0.09
No 147 60.0 112 69.1 8.74 0.07
Phone in Bedroom X2(1)=3.89, p=.05,
Φ=.10		 F(1,404)=14.50,
p<.001, ηp2 = .04
Yes 78 31.8 37 22.8 8.32 0.10
No 167 68.2 125 77.2 8.76 0.06
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Note. Bedtimes and wake times reported in military clock time, total sleep time in hours.

During the day there were no significant school group differences in the frequency of caffeine use, X2(2) = .66, p=.72, phi = .04. Collapsing across school groups, adolescents who consumed at least one caffeinated beverage per day had later weekday bedtimes, F(2,404) = 9.45, p < .001, ηp2 = .05, and shorter total sleep time, F(2,404) = 5.35, p = .005, ηp2 = .03 (Table 3).

DISCUSSION

This study is the first to use homeschool students as a naturalistic comparison group in order to examine the contribution of early school start times on the sleep of public/private school students. Without the early wake times required to catch the bus and/or get to school on time, homeschool students (grades 6-12) averaged 49 minutes more sleep per night on weeknights. Over the course of a typical school week, this translates to four hours of additional sleep for homeschool students. Figure 3 provides an extrapolation of the differences in cumulative sleep time and sleep lost over the course of a typical week. While weekend oversleep slightly reduces the cumulative difference between groups, after one week the difference between groups remains 3.8 hours, contributing to the sleep debt of public/private school students.

Figure 3.

Figure 3

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Representation of cumulative sleep duration comparison by group and cumulative difference in total sleep time over the course of a week.

Note. Dark shaded bars represent cumulative sleep duration in public/private school students, light shaded bars represent cumulative sleep duration in homeschool students. The solid black line represents cumulative difference in sleep duration between the two school groups, increasing over the course of the school week, and slightly decreasing with weekend catch-up sleep.

As found in previous studies, delayed weekday bedtimes (and mid-sleep period time on weekends) were evident with advancing grade, particularly during adolescence, regardless of school type, highlighting the circadian delay that occurs during puberty (Carskadon, Acebo, & Jenni, 2004; Carskadon et al., 1993). Public/private school students had slightly earlier bedtimes on weeknights; however, this could not compensate for the significantly earlier weekday wake times and subsequent shorter total sleep time. On weekends, when wake times were not a factor, both school groups achieved the recommended sleep for their age, with similar bedtimes and wake times. Similar to previous studies, public/private school students with later school start times (after 8:00 a.m.) did not have significantly later bedtimes (Wahlstrom, 2002; Wolfson et al., 2007). This study adds value to the preponderance of evidence suggesting that later school start times allow students to obtain more optimal sleep duration on school nights (Dexter et al., 2003; Owens et al., 2010; Wahlstrom, 2002; Wahlstrom et al., 2014; Wolfson et al., 2007). Further, with no group differences in mid-sleep period time on weekends, the differences in total sleep duration is more likely due to these early school start times rather than a circadian phase difference in homeschool vs. public/private school youth.

Also similar to previous studies (Li et al., 2007; Mindell, Meltzer, Carskadon, & Chervin, 2009; National Sleep Foundation, 2011; National Sleep Foundation, 2014), this study showed an association between the presence of technology in the bedroom and shorter total sleep time on weeknights for all students, with more technology present for public/private school students. This is of great concern given the rapid rise in technology use in the past five years with smart phones and tablets. To highlight this issue, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended that parents should be advised to keep television and internet-connected devices out of the bedroom (Council on Communications and the Media, 2013). Further, parents should enforce a “curfew” for media devices for all family members (parents included) (Council on Communications and the Media, 2013).

Limitations

There are several limitations that should be noted. First, we only included self- (and parent-) reported data, with no objective measure of sleep. However, adolescents have been shown to be good reporters of their sleep patterns (Wolfson et al., 2003). In addition, no measrues of SES were collected.

Second, it is possible that the difference in nap frequency may mitigate some of the total sleep duration differences over the course of a school week. While we did not measure nap duration the median number of naps was 0 for both groups, with more than 65% of youth in both groups not napping in the previous two weeks. This suggests that napping alone is unlikely to fully compensate for deficient weekday sleep.

Third, while later wake times account for differences in weekday sleep duration, it is also possible that other factors contribute to these differences. For example, increased parent-child interactions for homeschool families may result in increased parental involvement around bedtime and sleep routines, which has been shown to increase sleep duration in adolescents (Short et al., 2011). Another consideration is that some of the homeschooled youth were no longer attending school due to increased sleep needs that had previously resulted in academic and/or social difficulties. Further, it is possible that certain religious beliefs/practices (e.g., no caffeine use) may have also influenced sleep hygiene and sleep duration findings, independent of parental supervision.

Fourth, other than depressive symptoms, this study did not include daytime functioning outcomes, so we cannot draw any conclusions about the impact of school start times and/or sleep duration on the academic performance, sleepiness, or health of these students. Finally, because of the cross-sectional study design, it is possible that the changes across grades were due to a cohort effect rather than developmental changes to sleep.

Despite these limitations, this study adds to the growing body of literature demonstrating the potential value of delayed school start times on sleep duration, in particular for adolescents. The results of this study provide further evidence and support for those working to change school start times. It is critical for health care professionals to partner with students, families, teachers, administrators, and advocacy organizations to continue working toward changing school start times across the United States (Iber et al., 2014). In addition, further empirical evidence is needed to demonstrate the benefits of later school start times in multiple outcome areas, including academic performance, school attendance and matriculation, adolescent mood and quality of life, sports performance, and health outcomes. While the importance of changing school start times has received increased recognition in recent years, there remain a number of schools around the country where change will not occur until further scientific evidence demonstrates the benefits of later school start times for adolescents.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Rebecca Kochenderfer for her assistance with the homeschool data collection, all of the families who participated in the study, and Julie Chapman for her helpful review and comments on the manuscript. This study was supported by NIH K23 MH077662.

Appendix – Survey Questions

(Answer choices or response format in parenthesis)

Parent-Report Questions

  1. Does your child have any of the following in his or her bedroom (please select all that apply)?

    1. Television

    2. Computer

    3. Telephone

    4. None

  2. On most days, what time does your child start school? (HH:MM)

Adolescent-Report Questions

  1. On a typical school night in the past two weeks, what was the usual time you tried to go to sleep for the night? (HH:MM)

  2. Thinking about your sleep habits within the past two weeks on school nights, how often have you done the following in the hour before you went to bed? (Every night or almost every night; A few nights a week; A few nights a month; Rarely; Never)

    1. Did homework or studied

    2. Watched TV

    3. Talked on the phone

    4. Instant messaged or went on the Internet

    5. Read for fun

    6. Played electronic or video games

  3. On most school nights, how long does it usually take you to fall asleep? (minutes)

  4. At what time do you usually get up on school days? (HH:MM)

  5. On a typical non-school night such as weekends, in the past two weeks, what was the usual time that you tried to go to sleep for the night? (HH:MM)

  6. On most non-school nights, how long does it usually take you to fall asleep? (minutes)

  7. At what time do you usually get up on non-school days? (HH:MM)

  8. In the past two weeks, how many days did you take a nap?

  9. In the last two weeks, how often were you bothered or troubled by… (Not at all; Somewhat; Much)

    1. Feeling unhappy, sad, or depressed

    2. Feeling hopeless about the future

    3. Feeling nervous or tense

    4. Worrying too much about things

    5. Being stressed or anxious

  10. How many cups or cans of caffeinated beverages such as soda, energy drinks, coffee, tea, iced coffee, or iced tea do you typically drink each day? (number)

Footnotes

Note: Dr. Shaheed is now at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX and Ms. Ambler is now at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

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