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Updated: Dec 28, 2025

Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
Hózhó: Promoting sleep health among Navajo caregivers
Maureen Russell1, Carol M Baldwin2, Stuart F Quan3
1Institute for Human Development, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 5630, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA.
Objectives:
This study explored the feasibility and acceptability of a sleep health education intervention for caregivers of children with developmental disabilities (DD).
Design:
This mixed-methods pilot study utilized repeated measures and caregiver interviews.
Setting:
The intervention occurred in the homes of caregivers who live on the Navajo Nation.
Participants:
Fifteen caregivers of children with DD aged from birth to 3 years old participated.
Intervention:
The intervention consisted of three 1-hour home-based sessions. Educational modules were tailored to specific sleep issues of the caregiver and their child(ren), as well as the unique environmental and cultural features of Navajo families.
Measurements:
Quantitative measures included a sleep habits questionnaire, pre- and postmeasures of learning, and the SF-12 HRQoL. Quantitative data were analyzed with frequencies and repeated measures analyses with p .05. Qualitative comments regarding facilitators and detractors to healthy sleep were transcribed verbatim and categorized into themes.
Results:
Caregiver sleep duration increased by 2 hours (5.8±1.8 to 7.8±1.9, p = .005). Caregivers also reported improved physical (45.0±8.2 to 52.8+8.7 p = .001) and mental HR-QoL (41.8±8.9 to 49.3±10.9, p = .002), and enhanced knowledge of sleep disorders (13.4±4.0 to 20.7±5.6) and healthy sleep habits (15.7±4.1 to 25.4±3.4 each p = .005). Many participants reported better sleep quality in their children with earlier bedtimes and less night waking.
Conclusions:
Findings suggest that this tailored sleep education program is a culturally responsive approach to promoting caregiver sleep health and HR-QoL, as well as the sleep health of their children. Caregivers credited improved sleep to the support they received during visits and text messaging.
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