Testing and Development of a Sleep Training Mobile Health Application to Address Sleep Problems in the First Two Years of Life
Testing and Development of a Sleep Training Mobile Health Application to Address Sleep Problems in the First Two Years of Life
The specific aims of this study are : 1) To pilot test the alpha build prototype of the sleep training smartphone application using a sample of parents looking for sleep training advice online. 1a) To assess the efficacy of the application in helping parents with the sleep training process 1b) To assess the 'workability' of the application 2) Use feedback to guide the next round of development with the goal of building out the applications functionality and increasing usability.
Problems with bedtime and night-wakings are common in early childhood. Behavioral interventions to address these sleep problems are commonly referred to as "sleep training" and are effective but difficult for some parents to perform. The investigators have developed a prototype of a novel smartphone application designed to assist parents throughout this process.
The smartphone application first collects basic information from the parents, including: first name of child, number of caregivers participating in bedtime, tolerance of caregivers for crying, and basic information about timing of sleep and wake, as well as information about the usual order of events at bedtime. At each step, a brief (2-3 paragraph) is provided to explain the rationale for the next step, as well as concrete advice on how to succeed. It then walks parents through proven techniques to improve sleep in children in a stepwise fashion.
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