title: Tailored approach to sleep health education (TASHE): study protocol for a web-based randomized controlled trial.
abstract: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder that disproportionately affects African Americans (hereafter referred to as blacks). Moreover, blacks may underutilize sleep services including overnight polysomnography. Thus, OSA among blacks may go undiagnosed and untreated, which has significant health consequences, including hypertension, diabetes, cognitive impairment, and daytime sleepiness.
  
  
  
  This two-arm randomized controlled trial will assign 200 participants to a culturally and linguistically tailored web-based sleep educational platform. The website will be developed to ensure that the content is user friendly and that it is readable and acceptable by the target community. Participants will receive login information to a password-protected website and will have access to the website for 2 months. Study assessments will be collected at baseline, 2 months (post-enrollment) and at 6 months (follow-up). We will use qualitative and quantitative methods to develop tailored materials and to ascertain whether tailored materials will increase OSA knowledge and OSA health literacy by comparing blacks exposed to tailored materials versus those exposed to standard sleep health literature. We hypothesize that exposure to tailored OSA information will improve OSA health literacy.
  
  
  
  Few studies have investigated the racial/ethnic disparities in relation to OSA screening and treatment comparing blacks and whites. Moreover, we know of no interventions designed to increase OSA knowledge and health literacy among blacks. Use of the Internet to disseminate health information is growing in this population. Thus, the Internet may be an effective means to increase OSA health literacy, thereby potentially increasing utilization of sleep-related services in this population.
  
  
  
  The study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov, reference number NCT02507089 . Registered on 21 July 2015.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Health, Division of Health and Behavior, Center for Healthful Behavior Change, NYU Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA. Natasha.williams2@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Natasha J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Health, Division of Health and Behavior, Center for Healthful Behavior Change, NYU Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Robbins
authors.affiliation: Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rapoport
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Allegrante
authors.affiliation: Harlem Health Promotion Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Alwyn
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cohall
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Health, Division of Health and Behavior, Center for Healthful Behavior Change, NYU Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Gbenga
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ogedgebe
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Health, Division of Health and Behavior, Center for Healthful Behavior Change, NYU Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Girardin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jean-Louis
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D065246:Culturally Competent Care / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D012107:Research Design; D012890:Sleep; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Adherence; Blacks; Continuous positive airway pressure; Health education; Health literacy; Internet; Obstructive sleep apnea; Sleep health