Allergic rhinitis and behaviour problems in urban children aged 6 to 12 years and the mediating role of sleep disturbance

Background The association between allergic rhinitis (AR) and behaviour problems (BPs) is still controversy. Furthermore, potential critical mediating role of sleep disturbance (SD) in their association has not been explored.Methods A total of 18,316 children aged 6 to 12 (mean age 7.89 years, male: 53.1%) were recruited from 34 primary schools from Shanghai, China. Demographic information, medical history, Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), and Conners’ Parent Rating Scale (CPRS) were reported or scored by guardians via online survey. Logistic regression models with adjustment were employed to investigate the association between self-reported AR and BPs. Reproducible mediation analyses were used to explore the mediation effect of SD.Results The prevalence of AR, SD and any BP was 32.9%, 23.3% and 18.0%, respectively. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for BPs were significantly higher in children with AR compared to those without (all p