Efficacy of the Theory-Based Program for Improvement of Sleep Hygiene Behaviors of the Elderly

Disorders related to the quality and quantity of sleep are among the most important issues of old age. In this regard, the present study aimed to determine the efficacy of an educational program based on the theory of planned behavior for the improvement of sleep hygiene behaviors in the elderly.

This semi-experimental study with efficacy intervention was performed on 60 elderly people in Hamadan City, Iran who were divided into the intervention (n=30) and control (n=30) groups. Development, implementation, and evaluation of the intervention program were carried out based on needs assessment by using the theory of planned behavior and intervention mapping approach. The data collected before and two months after the implementation of the program were analyzed in SPSS software (version 16).

The average scores for attitude, perceived behavior control, and intention significantly increased in the intervention group after the implementation of the program (P<0.05). The estimated effect sizes, based on Cohen's d index, were moderate for attitude (0.7) and perceived behavioral control (0.6), and very large for intention (0.83). However, the estimated effect sizes for subjective norms (0.16) and sleep hygiene behaviors (0.06) were low.

The results were promising in terms of enhancing the intention to engage in sleep hygiene behaviors following the implementation of the program. This suggests that the theory of planned behavior can serve as a useful framework for the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs aimed at the improvement of sleep hygiene behaviors among older adults.