None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Previous research to improve physical activity in preschool aged children have resulted in only small improvements in child activity levels. Efforts to improve the impact of physical activity interventions may need to consider targeting other potential determinants of child activity. In the recent years, the relationship between sleep duration and obesity, as well as it's related modifiable risk factors (nutrition and physical activity) has received considerable attention. The current evidence examining the association between sleep duration and physical activity in children however have reported mixed findings and consists primarily of cross-sectional studies. Randomised trials provide an opportunity to explore the causal relationship between sleep and child physical activity. The proposed study therefore aims to examine the impact of an intervention targeting sleep duration on child activity levels. The research seeks to answer this question by supporting parents to modify sleep routines in their home and measures the potential impact of such an intervention on child PA and sleep. This study will use a randomised controlled trial study design with 150 children aged between 3-5 years old. Parents of 3- to 5-year-old children attending randomly selected childcare centres in the Hunter New England region of New South Wales, Australia will be approached to participate and randomised to receive an intervention targeting sleep practices and a no intervention control group. Parents in the intervention arm will receive a 3-month intervention consisting of a pre-recorded video module outlining practical tips for establishing and implementing strategies conducive to supporting sleep for their child, one follow up support call to support implementation of those strategies and two text messages to reinforce messages provided in the web link and video. The primary outcome of the trial will be the number of minutes the child spends in moderate to vigorous physical activity assessed using an accelerometer. Secondary outcomes include total time in physical activity, sleep duration and child BMI. All data collection will occur at baseline and approximately 3-months follow up.
Interventions
Parents of children in the intervention group will receive a 3-month intervention supporting them to implement healthy sleep practices for their preschool aged child. The intervention will seek to educate parents about personal and environmental factors aimed to promote positive sleep for their child. The intervention will be developed and delivered by an established organisation who has over 20 years’ experience delivering evidence-based parenting programs.
The sleep support component will cons
Parents of children in the intervention group will receive a 3-month intervention supporting them to implement healthy sleep practices for their preschool aged child. The intervention will seek to educate parents about personal and environmental factors aimed to promote positive sleep for their child. The intervention will be developed and delivered by an established organisation who has over 20 years’ experience delivering evidence-based parenting programs. The sleep support component will consist of a 15 minute online pre-recorded video module that will be sent via email to parents, one 30-minute telephone call and two text messages. The video resource will outline the importance of sleep generally and in children, good sleep habits, and how to establish them within their household. For example, parents are encouraged to create appropriate environments for bed (including reducing light and noise in the bed room where possible, removing all screens from the child's room, creating safe sleep associations that are independent of the parent). Also included on the webpage will be links to other supporting web-based resources published by reputable organisations including the National Sleep Foundation (on bedroom environment) and Raising Children Network which provide tips on establishing healthy sleep. The link sent to the parents will enable the research team to monitor whether parents click on the resource and how much of the video was watched. Approximately two weeks from being sent the web-link, parents will also receive one 30-minute telephone call by a trained psychologist to clarify the content of the video, problem solve any barriers to implementing suggested sleep routines and provide practical suggestions to support parents with implementing the practice. Approximately 2 and 4 weeks following the phone call, a text message will be sent to parents. The aim of the text messages will be to reinforce the level of engagement and implementation of strategies for improving child sleeping routines as identified in the phone call. Both the content of the telephone call and text messages will be tailored to parents level of engagement with the intervention and any reported barriers to implementing suggested changes. The content of the telephone call and text messages will be summarised on an excel spreadsheet by the personnel delivering the intervention.
Sponsors
Dr Serene (Sze Lin) Yoong
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Parents will be recruited from childcare centres in the Hunter New England Area. To be eligible, each participant must be a parent of a child aged 3 to 5 years attending a participating preschool, must reside with that child for at least four days a week (in order to implement the suggested sleep strategies) and must be able to understand spoken and written English.
Exclusion criteria
Children with an intellectual or physical impairment that may impact on their physical activity capacity or prevent them from complying with data collection protocols will be excluded. Parents will be excluded from participation if they do not live with the child for four or more days as they will be unable to implement the recommended strategies.
Outcome results
None listed