None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Sleep problems are estimated to effect between 20-30% of children internationally, with immediate and longer-term impacts on physical health, learning, behavior and family functioning. Current evidence identifies early childhood as a critical period for intervention strategies to avert sleep problems and establish positive lifetime health trajectories. Childcare is an integral part of most children’s early life experience, and provides a point for promotion of sleep health and early interventions for sleep problems. The benefit of early intervention in childcare to improve sleep health and address specific sleep problems has not been tested. The aims of this study are to establishing the fidelity of conducting a gold standard RCT of an educator focused professional development sleep intervention program (Choosing Rest) in childcare settings and estimate the effects of an educator focused professional development program (Choosing Rest) in reducing the severity and/or incidence of sleep problems in young childhood. We hypothesis that children in the intervention group will demonstrate a larger mean reduction in the severity and/or incidence of objectively measured sleep problems from pre- to post- intervention when compared to those in the control (treatment as usual) group. This study will integrate objective measurement of sleep patterns and sleep problems via actigraphy to a concurrent randomized control pilot trial testing the fidelity of a of a professional development program aimed at improving sleep practices in childcare settings. Pre- and post- intervention actigraphy (N=150 children aged 1-5 years) will be used to measure 24-hr sleep-wake patterns continuously across a 1-week period. If successful, this trial will lead to the application of a gold standard RCT study to provide evidence to support implementation into Australian childcare practice.
Interventions
Choosing Rest Program: targeted educator professional development program focuses on improving knowledge, process and delivery of sleep practices for children in childcare services. Topics covered include: evidence from research of current sleep practices in childcare services, information about normal sleep development in young children (including importance of sleep, sleep duration, timing, daytime napping patterns, circadian and homeostatic sleep drive, sleep antecedents and rest and relaxati
Choosing Rest Program: targeted educator professional development program focuses on improving knowledge, process and delivery of sleep practices for children in childcare services. Topics covered include: evidence from research of current sleep practices in childcare services, information about normal sleep development in young children (including importance of sleep, sleep duration, timing, daytime napping patterns, circadian and homeostatic sleep drive, sleep antecedents and rest and relaxation in adults and children) and information on the expectations for sleep, rest and relaxation within the Australian childcare regulatory framework. Program delivery will be conducted by a trained facilitator with extensive expertise within the childcare sector. The program is personalized, and includes an initial consultation (30 minutes) with a service leader to identify key areas of concerns regarding children's sleep within their service. Following initial consultation a 2 hour face-to-face facilitated professional development workshop is conducted with service staff, with two week follow-up support via phone consultation (i.e. one phone call at the end of two weeks). Professional development workshops are conducted on-site at service location, or at the childcare service head office. For centre-based childcare services workshops are run as a group for all educators within the service. For home-based childcare services workshops are run as a group of all educators within a family day care scheme. During these workshops educators are taken through a slide presentation with the facilitator covering three areas: (1) research evidence on current sleep practices in childcare services, (2) information on normal sleep development in young children, (3) sleep, rest and relaxation and expectations for sleep, rest and relaxation within the Australian childcare regulatory framework. During these workshops educators also participate in 5 reflective practice activities focused on incorporating new knowledge from the workshops into their service and individual practices (including: identifying high quality sleep, rest and relaxation practices, reflecting on their current practices, reflecting on what rest and relaxation for children, reflecting on how new knowledge of sleep, rest and relaxation for children can inform their practice). Throughout the 2-month intervention and implementation phase, data to support process evaluation, including field notes, artefacts and participation reports will be collected.
Sponsors
The University of Queensland
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
1 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria for childcare settings includes Long Day Care services with a current mandatory naptime and no prior participation in the Choosing Rest Program. Inclusion criteria for children includes the absence of significant medical, neurological, or developmental disorder, and no out-of-home placement.
Exclusion criteria
For service: No current mandatory naptime and/or prior participation in the Choosing Rest program. For children: significant medical, neurological, or developmental disorder, or out of home placement.
Outcome results
None listed