Perceptions of sleep and sleep research among African American adults

Understanding contributors to poor sleep and effective interventions to improve sleep among African Americans remain lacking due to their under-representation in sleep research. This study aimed to examine this population's sleep-related perceptions, as well as facilitators, barriers, and willingness to participate in sleep research.

African American men and women (n = 36, 53.4 ± 14.4 years [mean ± SD]) from the Greater Baton Rouge area were recruited and assigned to a focus group. Five 60- to 90-minute focus group sessions were conducted using a semistructured interview guide. Prompts were related to sleep and sleep research. Each session was recorded, transcribed, and coded for content analysis to capture themes in the discussions.

Thirty participants reported a total sleep time less than or equal to 6 hours most nights of the week. Participants were aware of the importance of sleep for physical and mental health and were interested in improving their sleep. Most participants indicated a willingness to participate in sleep research. Perceived benefits included increased knowledge on how to improve sleep, identification of personal triggers that may contribute to poor sleep, and improvement in quality of life and health. Barriers to sleep research participation included lack of trust, time commitment, study procedures, and inability to change their habits. Conversely, building trust and community presence were seen as facilitators to sleep research studies.

African Americans displayed knowledge related to importance of sleep and its relationship with health outcomes. Despite a long history of mistrust of medical researchers among African Americans, there is an interest in sleep research participation.