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Supporting South-Asian children’s health and wellbeing in Leicester families by investigating sleep priorities

    Cohort 2026 PhD Project

    About The Project

    Sleep problems are common in children, with direct consequences on children’s emotional, behavioural, and cognitive daytime functioning. Sleep hygiene practices is the recommended first line of intervention. 

    There is very little research on cross-cultural differences in parent-led sleep hygiene practices in children and none focused on South Asian families. This project will capitalise on the diversity of ethnic backgrounds of families attending the Leicester City Family Hubs, as Leicester has a majority Asian ethnic population (43% Leicester local authority profile 2023). Leicester City Family hubs have co-created this project with the academic and clinical partners. Leicester City Family hubs have insight into how to engage sensitively with the diverse Leicester City population to facilitate recruitment to this project and to support the student with thinking about inclusive research practices. This project will explore whether sleep practices differ by ethnicity and self-identified cultural background, and emergent family dynamics within the contemporary cultural and health and wellbeing landscape.

    This project will incorporate, for the first time, the perspectives of South Asian families on normal sleep, and sleep strategies used and what would be considered acceptable sleep practices for these families. This project will characterise any discrepancy between parental beliefs and expert recommendations about sleep and sleep practices and will inform a culturally sensitive approach to discussing sleep behaviour with parents of a South Asian background. 

    This project has been co-created with and is supported by researchers from University of Leicester University, Loughborough University and partners at Leicester City Hubs (Leicester City Council).

    Project Aims 

    The overall aims of the project are:     

    1. To characterise sleep habits between the families of different ethnicities and cultural identities in Leicester city.    

    2. To identify the nature of ‘normal’ sleep according to parents of a South Asian background and identify cultural-specific barriers and facilitators to healthy sleep-in children     

    3. To explore parents’ and carers’ perspectives about commonly used sleep strategies, such as their perceived acceptability and perceived ease of use

    4. To co-create culturally sensitive sleep education resources with South-Asian families for use in the Family Hubs and local GPs, with support from the paediatric sleep service at University Hospitals of Leicester    

    Project Team