Design and Usability Testing of a Tailored Intervention About Sleep and Sleep Disorders Among Transportation Workers

Mass General Brigham

Status: Completed

Conditions: Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Treatments: Other: Control; Behavioral: Personalized OSA messages

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT05039528

K01HL150339 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

2019P003171

Details and patient eligibility

About

The objective of this protocol is to conduct a focus group to identify OSA beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge among employees in the transportation industry on shift schedules.

Full description

Transportation shift workers (TSW, e.g., overnight, on-call, or rotating) have been identified as a high-risk group for health conditions (e.g., obesity, cardiovascular disease). Also, TSW are at risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). According to one study, approximately 36% of TSWs have OSA, a condition that exacerbates health risks and daytime sleepiness. A recent report from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) showed that those with untreated OSA cost on average $4,261 more than those without OSA. Also concerning, workers with OSA who are non-adherent to recommended OSA treatment (i.e., continuous positive airway pressure, CPAP) are at particularly high risk for motor vehicle accidents compared to those who are adherent.

This protocol outlines focus groups that will aim to identify knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about OSA among TSW. Results of these focus groups will be used in future research to design a tailored website for relaying OSA information to TSW.

Enrollment: 38 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Age 18 years or older
2. Access to a smartphone device
3. Commitment to completing all study activities
4. Score 4 or higher (mild or higher on OSA risk) according to the Apnea Risk Evaluation System (ARES) questionnaire.

Exclusion criteria

1. Significant medical or psychiatric illness according to the PROMIS Short Form (SF-12)
2. No OSA risk (a score below 4 on the ARES).

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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38 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive the personalized OSA messages.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Personalized OSA messages

Control

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Placebo participants will receive no treatment during the experiment.

Treatment:

Other: Control