Convergent validity of actigraphy with polysomnography and parent reports when measuring sleep in children with Down syndrome.

The samples were small, and usable data were fewer than recruited: 23 of 27 in Study 1 for actigraphy and 44 of 47 in Study 2. The clinic sample came from children already referred for sleep testing, so it may over-represent sleep problems and children able to tolerate a sleep lab. The community sample may under-represent children with fewer sleep problems and over-represent children whose behavioural concerns made sleep-lab testing difficult. Study 1 used only one sleep-lab night, while Study 2 used seven home nights, so setting and number of nights differed. The study tested measurement agreement, not whether actigraphy improves care or whether the suggested compliance supports work.

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Do not use an actigraphy watch to diagnose obstructive sleep apnoea or to replace parent report of behavioural sleep problems. The watch agreed with polysomnography for total sleep time, wake after sleep onset and sleep efficiency, but not for total time in bed or wake episodes, and it did not separate children with and without obstructive sleep apnoea.