Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a sleep disorder common in Singapore, with an estimated 1 in 3 adults having moderate to severe OSA. Untreated OSA is associated with negative long-term health effects and an “impaired health-related quality of life”. OSA is also prominent in the young, with a suspected 1% to 3% of Singaporean children having the sleep disorder, approximating to 400 to 1,200 new cases annually.

Paediatric OSA is a more pressing issue than OSA in adults as quality sleep is essential for cognitive and behavioural development in children. Paediatric OSA can cause lower IQ scores, hyperactivity, and delayed physical development. Early intervention of Paediatric OSA is crucial to prevent compounding effects on children’s growth and development.

The lack of awareness and knowledge of Paediatric OSA among parents is the first hurdle to cross in combating it. From the team’s primary research, less than 1 in 10 parents in Singapore could accurately identify the symptoms of Paediatric OSA in their child. Furthermore, sleep problems in children are seldom assessed during usual medical checkups as parents in Singapore often do not treat them as serious issues that warrant medical attention.

Guardians of the Night was a health information campaign focusing on raising awareness for Paediatric OSA in children, aged 2-6, by educating and empowering parents to identify its key signs and symptoms using O.W.L. which were abbreviations for:

  • Observe for restless sleep
  • Watch for unusual sleep postures
  • Listen for habitual snoring

The team created a O.W.L. jingle to drive home the message. Watch the video below:

The Highlights

At the end of the campaign (end December 2017 to April 2018), the team managed to reach out to over 870 parents offline through five kindergartens and one expo fair (SuperKids! Me 2018 Marina Bay Sands Expo Fair).

Various outreach methods were also employed, and it includes campaign’s plush toy giveways, an informational booklet which was co-authored with the help of medical experts from National University Health Kids (NUH Kids), and a Virtual Reality (VR) training tool with the help of VR googles. Watch the virtual reality video below:

The Memories

Trying the Augmented Reality (AR) game.
A team member presenting the issue of Paediatric OSA to a crowd of young parents at an outreach session.
Participants listening attentively to Dr Yue Weng Cheu.
Posing for a family picture with the O.W.L plush toy.
Sharing information about Paediatric OSA with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Embracing PArenthood Celebration 2018 in Sengkang.

Reflection #1 – The Challenges

There were challenges in obtaining doctors for speaking events at kindergartens due to their schedules and long weekends as a result of public holidays.

The team worked with their partners to ensure that outreach events happened on days that parents could attend, and reached out to multiple doctors to see if they were available on those days.

Reflection #2 – The Takeaways

Making an impact on the community involved a continuous two way communication effort – one that conveyed messages to the target audience, and listened to the opinions of the target audience to improve on the message and delivery.

But going beyond delivering messages, a valuable takeaway was the gravity of the project once the team began implementing on their plans. When the team spoke to parents and found out their worries regarding their child’s sleep, there was an added sense of urgency to the project – it was going to impact the lives of children and possibly even their future.