R. Bart Sangal, MD, Chair, Public Communication Workgroup

Director, Sleep & Attention Disorders Institute, Sterling Hts, MI

Professor, Oakland Univ Wm Beaumont School of Medicine

Public Communication Workgroup Responsible for refining and implementing the plan to

disseminate information on healthy sleep and sleep disorders to the general public

Year 1 focus on Obstructive Sleep Apnea and general Sleep Health information

Members: Shannon Quinn (LCWA)

Ronald Szymusiak PhD (SRS)

Nathaniel Watson MD (AASM)

Zahid Samad MD (CDC)

R Bart Sangal MD, Chair (MASM)

AASM Staff: Thomas Heffron & John Noel

First Short-Term Objective By Aug. 30, 2014, develop and distribute two public sleep

health messages.

Message 1 – Spring 2014

“Sleep Well, Be Well”

Message 2 – Summer 2014

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

“Stop the Snore”

Messages “Sleep is a necessity, not a

luxury.”

“Healthy sleep is a vital sign of good health.”

“Sufficient sleep is as important as nutrition and exercise.”

“The pursuit of healthy sleep should be one of our top priorities.”

Strategy A multi-faceted strategy was implemented to raise

awareness among the public:

Mass media Press releases

Media alerts

Policy statements

Story pitches

Web portal

Online toolkit

Social media

Strategy Mass media

Press releases

Media alerts

Policy statements

Story pitches

Web portal

Online toolkit

Social media

Sleep Well, Be Well: National Campaign Makes Healthy Sleep a Priority

Adequate Sleep as Critical to Overall Health as Nutrition, Exercise

(Darien, Ill.) May 12, 2014 – A nationwide “Sleep Well, Be Well” campaign is being launched today as part of

the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project, a collaboration between the American Academy of Sleep

Medicine (AASM), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Sleep Research Society

(SRS). The campaign will promote widespread awareness of the dangers of chronic sleep loss and untreated sleep illness, encouraging Americans to achieve healthy sleep for improved overall health.

Strategy Mass media

Web portal

Sleepeducation.org/healthysleep

Online toolkit

Social media

Strategy Mass media

Web portal

Online toolkit

Infographic

Memes

Social media

Strategy Mass media

Web portal

Online toolkit

Social media

Facebook

Twitter

Second Public Message Sleep Health Objective 1 (SH-1):

“Increase the proportion of persons with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea who seek medical evaluation.”

Data source National Health and Nutrition

Examination Survey (NHANES)

Baseline 25.5 percent in 2005–08

Target: 28.0 Percent

Target Populations Obese

78 million people

35.7% of U.S. adults

Hypertensives 67 million people

31% of U.S. adults

Diabetics 25.6 million people

90-95% have type 2 diabetes

Demographic Groups

Message: Stop the Snore

Strategy: Press Releases Stop the Snore in Michigan:

Sleep Apnea Action Urgent for Those at Risk Life-Threatening Sleep Illness Afflicts at Least 25 Million Americans – and Counting

(Detroit) August 12, 2014 – Michigan’s sleep experts agree: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) – a potentially life-threatening disease involving episodes of complete or partial airway obstruction during sleep – is dangerously on the rise. As part of the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project, the Michigan Academy of Sleep Medicine (MASM) is urging anyone with symptoms of OSA to pledge to stop the snore and talk to a doctor about sleep apnea.

“Research shows that the number of sleep apnea sufferers continues to increase – the disease afflicts at least 25 million American adults, and most of them remain untreated, increasing their risk of cardiac disease, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and obesity,” said Dr. R. Bart Sangal, president of the MASM, which is a partner in the Healthy Sleep Project. The collaboration is led by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Fortunately, sleep apnea treatment by a board-certified sleep specialist can stop, and may even reverse, many of these damaging effects.”

Strategy: Infographics & Memes

Strategy: Twitter Chat

Strategy: Online Pledge

Strategy: Initial Results

• Nearly 300 press release placements generating 20 million online impressions

• More than 3,000 Facebook engagements reaching 45,000 users

• More than 229,000 Twitter users reached and more than 2 million impressions generated by Twitter chat

• More than 200 Stop the Snore pledges

Conclusion The NHSAP is a much needed project

The collaboration between the AASM and MASM helps both achieve their goals

It is crucial to reach out to people who snore and make them aware of the dangerous disease: sleep apnea

It is equally crucial to reach out to people and make them aware of the need for more than 7 hours of sleep every night as adults