Objective:
Behaviourally based sleep problems are common among school-age children. Due to a number of barriers, few children receive evidence-based behavioural interventions for their sleep problems. The ABCs of SLEEPING mobile application was developed to provide parents with individualized and prioritized evidence-based sleep recommendations.
Method:
The current study assessed the feasibility of the intervention using a cohort pretest posttest design. Acceptability was assessed by collecting parent ratings of satisfaction/suitability and qualitative feedback through open-ended questions. Implementation was assessed weekly for 4 weeks to examine if the intervention was used as intended. Preliminary-efficacy was explored by assessing changes in children’s sleep and bedtime behaviours using parent report.
Results:
Parents generally reported satisfaction with the each of the three intervention components (questionnaire, report, and tips) and suitability of the tips for their child’s age and sleep problems. Descriptive statistics of the implementation data revealed parents did not use the intervention as much as intended. Content analysis of the qualitative data indicated that some changes to the intervention are needed (e.g., reminders to implement). Statistically significant evidence for preliminary-efficacy was found based on parent-reported questionnaires, but sleep was not normalized.
Conclusion:
The results indicate that while the ABCs of SLEEPING mobile application was found to have a moderate level of feasibility, it is not yet ready for large-scale testing. Future research should focus on modifying the intervention to imbed features to support implementation of the intervention.
Implications for Impact Statement
In this study we describe the feasibility testing of a smartphone-application designed to improve access to individualized information about sleep and healthy sleep practices entitled “The ABCs of SLEEPING.” Our results demonstrated its acceptability and preliminary efficacy; however, the app was not implemented daily as intended. This research also demonstrates the importance of evaluating interventions for the end-user.
