Background

Sleep problems among Dutch adolescents are a growing public health issue, with negative consequences for both physical and mental health. In response, an extensive Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) was previously developed, providing insight into the underlying system dynamics, relevant determinants and opportunities for improving young people’s sleep health. The study ‘Developing a whole systems action plan promoting Dutch adolescents’ sleep health’ by Danique Heemskerk, Maartje van Stralen, Jessica Piotrowski, Carry Renders and Vincent Busch, commissioned by GGD Amsterdam, builds on this work with the aim of developing a ‘whole systems action plan’ based on a systems-oriented and participatory approach.

Results

The final action plan consists of 66 (sets of) actions, focused on 42 opportunities for intervention across five subsystems:

  • School environment (N=24)
  • Mental health (N=17)
  • Digital environment (N=9)
  • Family and home environment (N=9)
  • Personal system (N=7)

Potential implementers were identified for each action, including schools and public health services. The original CLD was supplemented with information on how the system dynamics could be influenced through the proposed actions.

Addressing sleep at school

Would you like your school to focus attention on sleep in the coming school year? One way to do this is by using the Healthy School activity Charge Your Brainzzz.

Charge Your Brainzzz is an educational programme for secondary education (year 2 and 3 of VMBO-T and HAVO/VWO) that raises teenagers’ awareness of the importance of sleep and teaches them strategies to improve their sleep. It consists of three lessons, homework assignments, the website www.chargeyourbrainzzz.nl and a serious game. Charge Your Brainzzz is effective in improving knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy related to sleep.

The aim of the educational programme is to raise teenagers’ awareness of the importance of sleep for their health and teach them strategies to improve their own sleep. Greater knowledge about the importance of sleep and healthy choices to improve sleep behaviour can help prevent sleep deprivation.

Schools that would like to get started with Charge Your Brainzzz can contact Tilly de Jong via [email protected]