Abstract
Background: Poor sleep is a common problem in adolescents aged 14 to 18 years. Difficulties with sleep have been found to have a bidirectional link to mental health problems. Objective: This new research sought to involve young people in the co-creation of a new app, particularly those from underserved communities. The Sleep Solved app uses science-based advice to improve sleep-related behaviors and well-being. The app was developed using the person-based approach, underpinned by the social cognitive theory and the social-ecological model of sleep health. Methods: Young people (aged 14-18 y) were recruited from across the United Kingdom to contribute to patient and public involvement (PPI) activities. In partnership with our peer researcher (MHJ), we used a multitude of methods to engage with PPI contributors, including web-based workshops, surveys, think-aloud interviews, focus groups, and app beta testing. Results: A total of 85 young people provided PPI feedback: 54 (64%) young women, 27 (32%) young men, 2 (2%) genderfluid people, 1 (1%) nonbinary person, and 1 (1%) who reported “prefer not to say.” Their levels of deprivation ranged from among the 40% most deprived to the 20% least deprived areas. Most had self-identified sleep problems, ranging from 2 to 3 times per week to >4 times per week. Attitudes toward the app were positive, with praise for its usability and use of science-based yet accessible information. Think-aloud interviews and a focus group identified a range of elements that may influence the use of the app, including the need to pay attention to language choices and readability. User experiences in the form of narrated audio clips were used to normalize sleep problems and provide examples of how the app had helped these users. Conclusions: Young people were interested in using an app to better support their sleep and mental health. The app was co-created with strong links to theory- and evidence-based sleep hygiene behaviors. Future work to establish the effectiveness of the intervention, perhaps in a randomized controlled trial, would provide support for potential UK-wide rollout.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e63341 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | JMIR Human Factors |
| Volume | 11 |
| Early online date | 31 Oct 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Oct 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:©Sarah E Bennett, Milly H Johnston, Georgia Treneman-Evans, James Denison-Day, Anthony Duffy, Amberly Brigden, Paula Kuberka, Nicholas Christoforou, Lee Ritterband, Jewel Koh, Robert Meadows, Doaa Alamoudi, Ian Nabney, Lucy Yardley.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the support of their partners in the recruitment of patient and public involvementcontributors, namely, the Association of Colleges, the E-ACT multiacademy trust, the McPin Foundation, the Bristol Young
People’s Advisory Group, and Off The Record Bristol. The authors would also like to thankfully acknowledge the work of PIP
Creative in the graphic design development of the Sleep Solved intervention.
Funding
Finally, the authors are very grateful to the funders of this research, The Prudence Trust. LY is a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator, and her research program is partly supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West and NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Behavioural Science and Evaluation.
Keywords
- anxiety
- behavior change
- depression
- digital intervention
- insomnia
- mobile phone
- qualitative research
- sleep
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Human Factors and Ergonomics
- Health Informatics
