Clinical trial NCT03377452: Treating Sleep Apnea in Women Veterans
Official title: Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Apnea in Women Veterans
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Sleep Apnea
Lead sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
Sponsor class: FED
First posted: 2017-12-19
Enrollment: 90
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Individuals will be assigned to one of two programs simultaneously
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test two sleep apnea education programs for women Veterans newly diagnosed with sleep apnea (SA) who are prescribed positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. This education program is designed to improve participants' sleep quality and help them to adjust to PAP therapy.

Participants undergo a sleep and health assessment that is performed prior to beginning the education program. This assessment includes wearing a wrist actigraph to measure sleep and wake periods for 7 days and nights, and answering questionnaires about sleep habits and health. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two 6-week programs (intervention or educational control) provided by a study interventionist. Follow-up sleep and health assessments will be conducted at the end of the 6-week program and 3-months later. PAP usage data will be collected remotely for 6-months from PAP therapy initiation.

Detailed description: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with significant adverse health consequences including cardiovascular disease, motor vehicle accidents, daytime functional impairments and mortality risk. Although SDB is more common among men than women, it still impacts 17% of women in the general population. \[The investigators' preliminary evidence suggests it is even more common among women Veterans who receive VA care.\] The recommended first-line therapy for most patients with SDB is positive airway pressure therapy (PAP). Published studies show that women have lower PAP adherence than men, particularly in the US, yet the investigators are not aware of data comparing men and women Veterans. Because women Veterans experience significant sleep disturbance and other consequences of sleep disorders, adjusting to PAP therapy may be quite difficult. To date, studies have not tested interventions specifically designed to improve PAP adherence among women, accounting for important sleep-related and social factors.

This study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the efficacy of a program combining patient education with behavioral techniques and exercises from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to improve adherence to PAP therapy. Women Veterans 18 years and older, who have received care at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, and who have at least 1 risk factor for SDB will be recruited for this study. Screening for sleep apnea will be performed in the participant's home using a WatchPAT device. Both objective (actigraphy) and self-report (questionnaire/diary) sleep measures will be collected, as well as other health-related measures. Participants with an Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) of 5 or higher, and who meet all inclusion/exclusion criteria will be randomized to one of two programs: Acceptance and the Behavioral Changes to Treatment of Sleep Apnea (ABC-SA) or a non-directive sleep apnea education control.

PAP devices, along with education about SDB and sleep, will be provided to participants as part of the 6-session intervention and control programs. Follow-up assessments will be conducted immediately following the intervention/control and after 3-months.

Main study outcomes (sleep quality and PAP adherence) will be assessed 3 months after PAP initiation, and PAP adherence will be tracked remotely for 6 months. Data will be analyzed using "intention to treat" principles, using appropriate statistical methods for clinical trials.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Community-dwelling women Veterans aged 18 years and older
* Received care from a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facility
* Have a least one risk factor for sleep apnea (e.g., hypertension, obesity, or age 50 years or older)
* Diagnosed as having sleep apnea with an AHI of 5 or greater

Exclusion Criteria:

* Currently using a treatment for sleep apnea
* Current pregnancy
* Active substance user or in recovery with \< 90 days of sobriety
* Too ill to engage in study procedures
* Do not have transportation to the medical center
* Unable to self-consent (e.g., due to cognitive impairment)
* Unstable housing
* Does not have sleep apnea
* Another sleep disorder (e.g., restless legs syndrome, circadian rhythm sleep disorder) accounts for sleep disturbance
* No sleep complaints or symptoms

Primary outcomes:
measure: PAP Adherence
timeFrame: Three months after PAP initiation
measure: Sleep Quality by Patient-reported Sleep Questionnaire
timeFrame: Baseline, Three months from the date of the last intervention/control session (typically 12-16 weeks after the final session)
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Sepulveda
country: United States
facility: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Sepulveda, CA
state: California
Study officials:
affiliation: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Sepulveda, CA
name: Jennifer L Martin, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Moghtaderi I, Kelly MR, Carlson GC, Fung CH, Josephson KR, Song Y, Swistun D, Zhu R, Mitchell M, Lee D, Badr MS, Washington DL, Yano EM, Alessi CA, Zeidler MR, Martin JL. Identifying gaps in clinical evaluation and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing in women veterans. Sleep Breath. 2023 Oct;27(5):1929-1933. doi: 10.1007/s11325-022-02765-1. Epub 2022 Dec 16.
citation: Saldana KS, McGowan SK, Martin JL. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as an Adjunct or Alternative Treatment to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. Sleep Med Clin. 2023 Mar;18(1):73-83. doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2022.09.003.
citation: Carlson GC, Kelly MR, Grinberg AM, Mitchell M, McGowan SK, Culver NC, Kay M, Alessi CA, Washington DL, Yano EM, Martin JL. Insomnia Precipitating Events among Women Veterans: The Impact of Traumatic and Nontraumatic Events on Sleep and Mental Health Symptoms. Behav Sleep Med. 2021 Sep-Oct;19(5):672-688. doi: 10.1080/15402002.2020.1846537. Epub 2020 Nov 30.
citation: Carlson GC, Kelly MR, Mitchell M, Josephson KR, McGowan SK, Culver NC, Kay M, Alessi CA, Fung CH, Washington DL, Hamilton A, Yano EM, Martin JL. Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia for Women Veterans with and without Probable Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Womens Health Issues. 2022 Mar-Apr;32(2):194-202. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2021.10.007. Epub 2021 Nov 21.
citation: Saldana KS, Carlson GC, Revolorio K, Kelly MR, Josephson KR, Mitchell MN, Culver N, Kay M, McGowan SK, Song Y, Deleeuw C, Martin JL. Values Expressed by Women Veterans Receiving Treatment for Chronic Insomnia Disorder. Behav Sleep Med. 2024 May-Jun;22(3):340-352. doi: 10.1080/15402002.2023.2260517. Epub 2023 Sep 25.
citation: Ravyts SG, Erickson AJ, Washington DL, Yano EM, Carlson GC, Mitchell MN, Kelly M, Alessi CA, McGowan SK, Song Y, Martin JL, Dzierzewski JM. A non-inferiority randomized controlled trial comparing behavioral sleep interventions in women veterans: An examination of pain outcomes. J Psychosom Res. 2023 Dec;175:111536. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111536. Epub 2023 Oct 21.