Understanding how African, Caribbean, and Black families experience and conceptualize early childhood sleep in Canada: a mixed-methods study

Canada’s Black population continues to grow, especially in terms of families with children. Early childhood is a critical period to establish healthy practices that support positive long-term wellbeing. Early childhood sleep, an essential building block in childhood growth and development, has received increasing attention in recent years. However, African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities are not well represented in this research area. In response, my project will map out what we know of early childhood sleep among ACB communities globally; survey ACB families to describe their experiences and practices related to early childhood sleep in Canada; explore how ACB families make sense of early childhood sleep health, especially as it relates to social, cultural, and structural factors that shape early childhood sleep practices and experiences; and voice ACB families’ priorities for early childhood sleep support. This project will help identify ACB families’ strengths and areas of needed support and enrich health professionals’ understanding of how ACB families navigate early childhood sleep in Canada. Findings will also inform how we can better support early childhood sleep health for ACB children in Canada.