Understanding Sleep Facilitators, Barriers, and Cultural Dimensions in Native American Urban Youth
Published in: Sleep Health (2020). doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2020.03.004
Posted on RAND.org on September 15, 2020
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Objectives
American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth are a high-risk group for sleep problems and associated chronic conditions. Urban AI/AN youth may face certain challenges, including specific psychosocial stressors (e.g., discrimination) and environmental factors (e.g., noise, light) that render them particularly vulnerable to poor sleep health. However, few studies have explored AI/AN adolescent sleep. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use systematic qualitative methods with AI/AN youth to explore their sleep environment and sleep behaviors.
Design
In-depth interviews with 26 youth.
Setting
Two urban areas in Central and Southern California.
Participants
Urban-dwelling AI/AN youth, age 12–16 years.
Intervention
N/A.
Measurement
N/A.
Results
We identified five main themes, each with subthemes: sleep patterns and desired sleep, sleep barriers inside the home, environmental factors, sleep facilitators, and cultural dimensions. Key concerns discussed were poor sleep hygiene, excessive use of electronics prior to bedtime, issues with temperature regulation, and noise both within and outside the home. Parents can be an important vehicle for messaging around sleep health and for behavior management. Participating adolescents also indicated differing levels of attachment to Native identity, suggesting that culturally-targeted sleep interventions should build in openness and flexibility to a range of identity starting points. Further, we identified cultural practices, such as sweat lodges and dreamcatchers, that could be incorporated in future sleep interventions for this population.
Conclusion
Findings increase our understanding of urban AI/AN youth's sleep environments and behaviors, thus potentially informing program development around sleep health for this vulnerable population.
This article was published outside of RAND. The full text of the article can be found at the link above.
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