Sleep Well. Do Well. Star Sleeper Campaign

On February 27, 2001, the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health launched a five-year national initiative to educate America's children - their parents, educators, and health care providers - about the importance of obtaining adequate nighttime sleep.

The "Sleep Well. Do Well. Star Sleeper Campaign" aims to instill in children ages 7 to 11 the understanding that sleep is important to doing your best in whatever you do, including school performance, sports, other extracurricular activities, and establishing good friendships and family relationships.

The campaign will be co-sponsored by PAWS, Inc., the corporate entity behind Garfield the Cat. As a Star Sleeper, Garfield will serve as the campaign's official "spokescat."

Sleep is Overlooked in Children

Sleep problems affect about 70 million Americans of every age, race, and socioeconomic level, and there is a growing body of scientific evidence showing that inadequate sleep results in tiredness, difficulties with focused attention, irritability, easy frustration, and difficulty modulating impulses and emotions.

In children, symptoms related to sleep deprivation are often overlooked or erroneously attributed to attention-deficit or behavior disorders. But performance in the classroom and in extracurricular activities can suffer if a child does not obtain adequate sleep.

Once a child reaches adolescence, his or her risk of inadequate sleep and its dangers increases. Adolescence is a time when maturational changes take place that increase the need for sleep, while cultural and lifestyle factors - for example, school demands, part-time jobs, extracurricular activities, and late-night socializing - lead to insufficient sleep. This often results in severe sleep deprivation, poor school performance, and a high risk of life-threatening consequences, such as drowsy driving crashes.

Sleep Well. Do Well. Star Sleeper Campaign

The educational campaign is designed to reach children - before they enter adolescence - with messages about the importance of sleep to their health, performance, behavior, and mood. The Garfield character will reinforce the campaign's messages about the benefits of adequate sleep. Focus group research indicates that Garfield's strong appeal to children within the 7- to 11-year age group will help the initiative reach children at a time when many of the habits affecting their life-long health, well-being, and productivity are being shaped. With the ongoing involvement of Garfield, the campaign aims to:

• Call public attention to the importance of adequate nighttime sleep for children
• Enhance knowledge of the causes, consequences, and prevention of excessive daytime sleepiness
• Heighten recognition of the link between adequate sleep and good health and physical and mental performance

To achieve these goals, the initiative will implement a series of educational strategies targeting children, parents, educators and non-classroom instructors, and physicians and other health care providers, aimed at elevating the status of childhood sleep on the nation's societal, educational, family, and research agendas. The "Sleep Well. Do Well. Star Sleeper Campaign" will partner with public and private organizations in the areas of children's health, education, sports and recreation, business, and parent communities to facilitate a national public health education effort.

During the campaign's first year, efforts will focus on youth outreach and national awareness and education. Specific programs and activities will include:

• Campaign launch with the Garfield character and winners of a Garfield sleep cartoon contest
• Introduction of a sleep activity book that can be used in classroom and after-school activities or by a child on his or her own
• Introduction of a plush Garfield Star Sleeper doll for use as a promotional item

(These first three points have been completed. See our story about the launch of the "Sleep Well. Do Well. Star Sleeper Campaign")

Still to come later this year:

• Back to School media-relations activities in the late summer and early fall
• Interactive Web-based activities
• Outreach to elementary school principals and teachers through a partnership with the National Association of Elementary School Teachers
• Outreach to the health care community through partnership activities with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

In subsequent years, the campaign will include ongoing media relations and partnership activities, as described above, as well as:

• Education and outreach to parents through parent organizations, publications, and Web sites
• Partnership initiatives with leading national education and youth-oriented groups
• Education at conferences and meetings of leading national physician and healthcare provider groups through special programming, exhibits, and/or research updates.