Effects of a Responsive Parenting Intervention Among Black Families on Infant Sleep

Abstract

Black individuals in the US experience disparities in sleep throughout their lifespan.^1-3 During infancy, Black infants have shorter sleep durations than White infants and are less likely to meet recommended guidelines of at least 12 hours of sleep per day.^4-6 These patterns are concerning, given links between infants’ sleep and later outcomes, including child overweight and obesity,^7,8 social-emotional functioning,^9,10 and cognitive development.^11,12 Behavioral interventions for parents can improve infants’ sleep by encouraging the use of recommended parenting practices, such as consistent bedtime routines and developmentally appropriate responses to night wakings.^13-18 These interventions are seen as a promising approach to reducing sleep and sleep-related health disparities early in development.^19,20 To date, however, implementation of these interventions among racially and ethnically diverse populations has been limited.²¹ To our knowledge, only 1 intervention study has specifically aimed to promote better sleep among Black infants,²² and results from that study indicated no significant differences between the intervention and control groups in maternal reports of infant sleep problems or infant nighttime awakenings over the first 15 months post partum.²³ As such, there is a need to identify behavioral interventions that improve infant sleep among Black families.