# Targeted Intervention for Insufficient Sleep among Typically-Developing Adolescents

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2021 · $133,963

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Dr. Jessica Levenson’s long-term career goal is to become an independent investigator who develops,
tests, and optimizes stakeholder-informed adolescent health promotion programs that target sleep in order to
promote emotional, cognitive, and behavioral health outcomes. Scalable, effective sleep health promotion
programs are critically needed to address the significant and damaging effects of insufficient sleep in
adolescent populations. The overall aim of Dr. Levenson’s research proposal is to involve various stakeholders
(e.g., youth, parents, clinicians, administrators, and adolescent health advocates) in the design, pilot testing,
and assessment of the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary outcomes of a sleep promotion program
delivered to 13-15 year olds who report insufficient sleep. In Aim 1, Dr. Levenson will use qualitative methods
to conduct and analyze feedback from focus groups of key stakeholders (n=3 groups), a stakeholder advisory
board, and a case series (n=6). The goals of this formative qualitative research with iterative stakeholder input
are: 1) to inform program format, materials, and outcomes; 2) to identify adolescent values and goals related to
obtaining sufficient sleep; and 3) to understand facilitators and barriers to program adherence and delivery. In
Aim 2, Dr. Levenson will examine the feasibility and acceptability of the program through a small open trial
(n=6) and a randomized pilot trial (n=40) that uses a two-period, wait-list control design. In Aim 3 Dr. Levenson
will test whether the program is associated with changes in sleep, motivation, and four outcome domains
(academic functioning, attention, risk behavior, and affect). Such a broadly relevant program has the potential
for enormous public health impact by improving sleep and facilitating healthy development across a range of
domains among typically-developing adolescents who are highly vulnerable to adverse consequences. This
research will support Dr. Levenson’s training goals of 1) developing proficiency in conducting stakeholder-
guided research that focuses on integrating the priorities, needs, and outcomes that are critical to various
stakeholders; 2) obtaining training in developing sleep-focused intervention programs for adolescents that are
highly focused on building motivation and increasing self-efficacy to change behavior; and 3) developing
expertise in adolescent development with a focus on the nature and consequences of normative sleep and
circadian rhythm changes that occur during adolescence. The mentoring team is led by Dr. Elizabeth Miller, an
expert in community-based, stakeholder-engaged, patient-oriented research in adolescent health, and Dr. Tina
Goldstein, an expert in the development and testing of psychosocial interventions for at-risk youth. The
proposed training and research aims will support Dr. Levenson’s submission of an R01 research grant aiming
to test the effectiveness of the intervention progr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10206207
- **Project number:** 5K23HD087433-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Jessica C Levenson
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $133,963
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10206207

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10206207, Targeted Intervention for Insufficient Sleep among Typically-Developing Adolescents (5K23HD087433-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10206207. Licensed CC0.

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