Over the last 10 years there has been a 300% increase in the number of children accessing specialist sleep support from Sheffield Children’s Hospital. The impact of sleep problems in childhood is wide-ranging in terms of physical and mental health, quality of life, behaviour and educational outcomes. Child sleep problems are also associated with poor outcomes for parents and other household members. Promoting healthy sleep is therefore a public health priority. Research investigating potential interventions to promote healthy sleep in children is limited, particularly in school and community settings. There is a strong need for a paediatric sleep research network that uses a multidisciplinary approach with user care involvement at its heart.
The aim of this project is to establish The White Rose Child and Adolescent Sleep Research Network. This multidisciplinary network will strengthen national and international links between academics, clinicians, charities and industry partners working in the field of paediatric sleep research. Researchers from the three universities share a passion for progressing paediatric sleep research, which is still in its infancy. This new network will enhance research collaboration, dissemination and impact by bringing together the unique expertise, personnel, existing data sets and facilities available across Yorkshire.
Lead Academic at Lead University
Professor Barry Wright University of York
Lead Academic at other Universities
Dr Anna Weighall University of Sheffield
Dr Hannah Nash University of Leeds
Other Staff Associated with this Project
Child Oriented Mental health Intervention Centre (COMIC) Research Team: University of York
Dr Jane Blackwell
The Child Oriented Mental health Intervention Centre (COMIC), University of York
Megan Garside
The Child Oriented Mental health Intervention Centre (COMIC), University of York
Danielle Varley
Research Programme Managerm The Child Oriented Mental health Intervention Centre (COMIC), University of York
Professor Gareth Gaskell
University of York
Dr Lisa Henderson
University of York
Dr Ian Kellar
University of Leeds
Anna Hamilton
University of Leeds