scholarly journals Awareness of infant safe sleep messages and associated care practices: findings from an Australian cohort of families with young infants

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000972
Author(s):  
Roni Cole ◽  
Jeanine Young ◽  
Lauren Kearney ◽  
John M D Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Sudden Infant Death ◽  
Infant Care ◽  
Sudden Infant ◽  
Infant Sleep ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Safe Sleep ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Young Infants ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Care Practices

ObjectiveTo investigate primary infant caregiver awareness of the current national public health safe sleep messages and the associations of awareness with care practices.Design and settingA cross-sectional survey in Queensland, Australia. All families with live babies birthed during April–May 2017 were eligible. Questionnaires were distributed when infants were approximately 3 months old.ParticipantsOf the 10 200 eligible families, 3341 (33%) primary caregivers participated.Main outcome measuresParticipants were asked: to recall key safe sleeping messages they were aware of (unprompted); questions about their infant care practices; and to select the current, national six safe sleeping messages (prompted multi-choice).ResultsOverall, the majority of families are aware of sleep-related infant mortality and sudden infant death (3178/3317, 96%); however, approximately one in four caregivers (867/3292, 26%) could not identify the current six messages to promote safer infant sleep in a multi-choice question. Despite being aware of the six key messages, some caregiver practices did not always align with advice (336/2423, 14% were not smoke-free; 349/2423, 14% were not usually supine for sleep; 649/2339, 28% employed practices which may increase risk of head or face covering; 426/2423, 18% were not receiving breastmilk).ConclusionsThere is considerable scope for improvement in parent awareness and ability to recall key safe sleep messages. Awareness of advice does not always translate into safe infant care. Health promotion messaging to encourage safer infant sleep, ultimately aimed at reducing sudden unexpected infant deaths, needs more effective supportive strategies and dissemination if future campaigns are to be successful.

scholarly journals Sudden Infant Death Syndrome on Facebook: Qualitative Descriptive Content Analysis to Guide Prevention Efforts

10.2196/18474 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. e18474
Author(s):  
Kelly Pretorius ◽  
Eunju Choi ◽  
Sookja Kang ◽  
Michael Mackert
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Support ◽  
Infant Death ◽  
Sudden Infant Death ◽  
Maternal Anxiety ◽  
Sudden Infant ◽  
Provider Communication ◽  
Infant Sleep ◽  
Safe Sleep ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Monitoring Devices

Background Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), which includes the diagnosis of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), is a leading cause of infant mortality in the United States. Despite prevention efforts, many parents continue to create unsafe infant sleep environments and use potentially dangerous infant sleep and monitoring devices, ultimately leading to sleep-related infant deaths. Analyzing Facebook conversations regarding SIDS may offer a unique maternal perspective to guide future research and prevention efforts. Objective This study aims to describe and analyze conversations among mothers engaged in discussions about SIDS on a Facebook mother’s group. We were interested in understanding maternal knowledge of SIDS, identifying information sources for SIDS, describing actual infant sleep practices, exploring opinions regarding infant sleep products and monitoring devices, and discovering evidence of provider communication regarding SIDS. Methods We extracted and analyzed 20 posts and 912 comments from 512 mothers who participated in a specific Facebook mother’s group and engaged in conversations about SIDS. There were 2 reviewers who coded the data using qualitative descriptive content analysis. Themes were induced after discussion among researchers and after the study objectives were addressed. Results The theme of social support emerged, specifically informational and emotional support. A variety of informational sources for SIDS and safe sleep were identified, as was a continuum of infant sleep practices (ranging from unsafe to safe sleep per the American Academy of Pediatrics standards). There was widespread discussion regarding infant sleep products and monitoring devices. Embedded within conversations were (1) confusion among commonly used medical terminology, (2) the practice of unsafe infant sleep, (3) inconsistency in provider communication about SIDS, and (4) maternal anxiety regarding SIDS. Conclusions We uncovered new findings in this analysis, such as the commonality of infant sleep products and monitoring devices and widespread maternal anxiety regarding SIDS. Additionally, mothers who participated in the Facebook group provided and received informational and emotional support regarding SIDS via this social media format. Such results can guide future prevention efforts by informing health communication regarding SUID and safe sleep. Future provider and public health agency communication on the topic of SUID and safe sleep should be simple and clear, address infant sleep products and monitoring devices, address maternal anxiety regarding SIDS, and address the common practice of unsafe sleep.

Breastfeeding Duration and Infant Sleep Location in a Cohort of Volunteer Breastfeeding Counselors

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 354-364
Author(s):  
Cate Bailey ◽  
Susan Tawia ◽  
Elizabeth McGuire
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Sudden Infant Death ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Sudden Infant ◽  
Infant Sleep ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Bed Sharing ◽  
Association Data

Background Debate about mother and infant bed sharing has been polarized between supporters of bed sharing and public health policies that attempt to mitigate the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Differences in group demographics may be an important aspect in co-sleeping acceptability. Research aims The first aim of this study was to investigate infant sleeping location in a dataset of mothers with strong breastfeeding outcomes. The second aim was to investigate the association between infant sleeping location and breastfeeding (exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months and total breastfeeding duration). Finally, we aimed to investigate predictors of breastfeeding duration. Methods Participants comprised 174 women who had applied to train as counselors with the Australian Breastfeeding Association. Data were compiled from a survey of the participants’ lactation histories, including questions related to the exclusivity and duration of breastfeeding, concerns about and problems encountered during breastfeeding, type of birth, medications during birth, demographics, and infant sleeping location. The study design was a cross-sectional, one-group survey design. Results A high proportion of participants in this study bed shared and room shared: At 0–1 month ( n = 58), 33% of participants bed-shared, which increased to 58% by 6–12 months ( n = 80). Infants who co-slept were more likely to be exclusively breastfed at 6 months (χ2 (2, n = 116) = 4.83, p = .03) and had longer breastfeeding duration ( t (62.61) = 3.81, p < .001). Conclusions Breastfeeding targets have been difficult to achieve globally, and innovative ideas are required to improve breastfeeding outcomes through public health messaging. There was a strong association in the current study between breastfeeding outcomes and degree of closeness of the infant to the mother at night. This finding should be brought into the discourse on breastfeeding and infant sleep arrangements, accompanied by evidence-based advice about safe sleeping and the promotion of breastfeeding.

Infant care practices related to sudden infant death syndrome in South Asian and White British families in the UK

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen L. Ball ◽  
Eduardo Moya ◽  
Lesley Fairley ◽  
Janette Westman ◽  
Sam Oddie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ◽  
Infant Death ◽  
Sudden Infant Death ◽  
Infant Care ◽  
Sudden Infant ◽  
Care Practices ◽  
The Uk

scholarly journals An Integrated Analysis of Maternal-Infant Sleep, Breastfeeding, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Research Supporting a Balanced Discourse

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 510-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen A. Marinelli ◽  
Helen L. Ball ◽  
James J. McKenna ◽  
Peter S. Blair
Keyword(s):  
Sudden Infant Death ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Sudden Infant ◽  
Infant Sleep ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Safe Sleep ◽  
Infant Deaths ◽  
Bed Sharing ◽  
Parental Alcohol

Breastfeeding and the place of sleep for the mother and the infant have been controversial internationally due to reported concerns regarding infant deaths despite the known benefits of exclusive and prolonged breastfeeding, which are increased by breastfeeding at night. The aims of this integrated analysis were to (a) review breastfeeding and maternal and infant sleep research literature via historical, epidemiological, anthropological, and methodological lenses; (b) use this information to determine where we are currently in safeguarding both infant lives and breastfeeding; and (c) postulate the direction that research might take from this point forward to improve our knowledge and inform our policy and practice. Despite well-meaning but unsuccessful campaigns in some countries to dissuade parents from sleeping with their babies, many breastfeeding mothers and caregivers do sleep with their infants whether intentionally or unintentionally. Taking cultural contexts and socio-ecological circumstances into consideration, data supports policies to counsel parents and caregivers on safe sleep practices, including bed-sharing in non-hazardous circumstances, particularly in the absence of parental smoking, recent parental alcohol consumption, or sleeping next to an adult on a sofa. Further research with appropriate methodology is needed to drill down on actual rates of infant deaths, paying close attention to the definitions of deaths, the circumstances of the deaths, and confounding factors, in order to ensure we have the best information with which to derive public health policy. Introduction and use of the concept of “breastsleeping” is a plausible way to remove the negative connotations of “co-sleeping” and redirect ongoing data-driven discussions and education of best practices of breastfeeding and sleep.

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