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NCT Number: NCT07387406

Sleep Learning Education and Empowerment for Older Korean Immigrants

Poor sleep is common among Asian Americans. Untreated sleep problems increase the risk of chronic diseases, cognitive decline, and mortality. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) is considered the first-line treatment for chronic sleep problems and has demonstrated significant improvement in sleep health among older adults. However, existing CBTI is built upon Western culture, making it challenging to apply for Asian immigrants who maintain close ties to their native cultures that shape and influence their sleep habits. Addressing the lack of availability of a culturally adapted sleep intervention program is the first step to filling the gap in sleep health disparity among Asian immigrants.

This study aims to pilot test the feasibility and the preliminary efficacy of a culturally adapted sleep intervention program among older Korean immigrants with poor sleep, one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the United States with limited access to mainstream sleep therapies.

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Key information

Conditions

Insomnia Chronic Dyssomnias Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders Sleep Wake Disorders

Age range

60 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of California Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Yeonsu Song, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

310-983-3029

About this study

Poor sleep is common among Asian Americans. Untreated sleep problems increase the risk of chronic diseases, cognitive decline, and mortality. Addressing the lack of availability of a culturally adapted sleep intervention program is the first step to filling the gap in sleep health disparity among Asian immigrants. This study aims to evaluate its feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a culturally adapted sleep education program ("SLEEP-OK") in a pilot randomized clinical trial. Study participant (N=32) will be randomized to either our culturally adapted, manual-based sleep intervention group (n=16) or the information-only control group (n=16) at our community partner serving older Korean immigrants. The study will evaluate the feasibility of the intervention and the preliminary effects of the intervention on sleep health outcomes among Korean immigrants at baseline and post-intervention (i.e., immediately after the last session of the intervention).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Korean immigrants (i.e., being a resident of the United States with a birthplace in Korea)
  • Able to speak, read, and write in Korean
  • Aged at least 60 years
  • Have a score of at least 15 on a Korean version of the Insomnia Severity Index
  • Able to ambulate with or without an assistive device
  • Have a score of at least 23 on a Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
  • Score less than 5 on STOP-BANG (or proceed with an additional testing [Watch Peripheral Arterial Tonometry (WatchPAT) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale if score is equal to or greater than 5 on STOP-BANG)

Exclusion criteria

  • Those who are bedbound
  • Those who do not meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) criteria for insomnia disorder
  • Those who have an untreated apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) at least 15 (moderate obstructive sleep apnea) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) at least 11 (indicating mild sleepiness) OR AHI is equal to or greater than 30 (irrespective of ESS)

Treatment and study plan

CBT-I based sleep intervention

Behavioral

A multicomponent behavioral sleep program, consisting of sleep compression, stimulus control, sleep hygiene, relaxation, daily physical activity, and light exposure

Sleep Education

Behavioral

This group will receive information about sleep and aging, but without specific or individualized recommendations

Primary outcomes

  1. Objective Sleep Efficiency

    Time frame: Immediately after the last session of the intervention

    Nighttime sleep efficiency (i.e., mean percent of time in bed spent asleep at nighttime) will be calculated from 7 consecutive days and nights of wrist actigraphy (Scores range from 0 to 100%, with higher values indicating better objective sleep quality)

  2. Subjective Sleep Quality

    Time frame: Immediately after the last session of the intervention

    Total score on the Korean version of the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) will be used as a measure of subjective sleep (Scores range from o to 18, with lower values indicating better subjective sleep quality)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Acceptability of the Intervention

    Time frame: Immediately after the last session of the intervention

    Focus group interviews will be conducted to collect the benefits and challenges of following the sleep intervention program

Other outcomes

  1. Feasibility of Recruitment

    Time frame: Immediately after enrolled

    The number of participants approached who agreed to participate will be measured

  2. Feasibility of Randomization and Retention

    Time frame: Immediately after enrolled

    The number of participants lost at a post-treatment assessment will be measured

  3. Adherence to the Intervention

    Time frame: Immediately after the last session of the intervention

    The total number of sessions and the percentage of days that participants met goals for recommendations throughout the intervention program will be measured

  4. Interventionist Adherence

    Time frame: Immediately after the last session of the intervention

    The percentage of completion of delivery of each component in sessions throughout the intervention program will be measured

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Yeonsu Song, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

310-983-3029

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, Los Angeles

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Registry information

Official study title

A Culturally Adapted Sleep Intervention Program for Older Asian Immigrants With Limited English Proficiency

Acronym: SLEEP-OK

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Feb 4, 2026
Registry last updated
Mar 5, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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