ABSTRACT
Developmental and cultural factors affect sleep habits in childhood. The objective of this research was to determine sleep habits of children in the isolated rural African-Brazilian community of Furnas do Dionísio, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The members of this community are closely related descendants of the ex-slave Dionísio, and reumained in relative geographical isolation for about a century. Sleep characteristics of 55 children (35M; 20F). 2 to 10 year olds, were evaluated in interviews with their mothers. The results showed that cosleeping, in the same bed with family members, was present in 80.0 per cent of the 2-3 year olds; decreasing to 25.0 per cent of the 8-10 years olds. Only 5.4 per cent of the children slept alone in their own bedroom. Mean number of persons per bedroom was 2.8. Only 7.0 per cent of the bedrooms had TV; 98.1 per cent slept in silence. The data obtained support the need to weigh cultural factors influence on sleep.