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Teaching Parents How to Prevent Acquired Cranial Asymmetry in Infants
Freda Lennartsson1, Per Nordin2, Göran Wennergren3
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Insights
Educating child health nurses on infant cranial asymmetry prevention significantly improved parental awareness of safe sleep recommendations. This intervention increases knowledge on head positioning and pillow use, crucial for preventing permanent deformities.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Infant Care
Background:
- Acquired cranial asymmetry is common in infants, often linked to the recommended supine sleep position for safety.
- Early detection and prevention are vital as the condition can become permanent.
- A project developed and refined guidelines for Swedish child health nurses to prevent infant cranial asymmetry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a cranial asymmetry prevention program for child health nurses.
- To compare parental awareness of prevention information received from intervention-group nurses versus control-group nurses.
Main Methods:
- An intervention study involved two groups of nurses: one trained in the new program, the other following standard recommendations.
- 272 parents (180 intervention, 92 control) from 26 child health centers participated.
- A checklist survey assessed parental awareness of cranial asymmetry prevention information provided during infants' first four months.
Main Results:
- Intervention group parents showed significantly higher awareness of key recommendations, including alternating head direction (82% vs. 64%), appropriate pillow use (92% vs. 80%), and pillow removal timing (48% vs. 31%).
- Awareness of newly introduced recommendations was also higher in the intervention group.
- Statistical significance (p<0.05) was observed for all compared recommendations.
Conclusions:
- Educating child health nurses on cranial asymmetry prevention effectively enhances parental knowledge and safe practices.
- The program successfully increased parental awareness regarding crucial preventative measures for infant head shape.
- This approach demonstrates a viable strategy for improving infant safety and preventing positional plagiocephaly.
Abstract:
Acquired cranial asymmetry is prevalent in infants today. This is largely attributed to the supine sleep position recommended for infant safety. The condition can become permanent, so prevention and early detection are important. A prevention project was initiated where guidelines for Swedish child health nurses were developed, tested in a pilot study, revised, and then incorporated into a short cranial asymmetry prevention program for nurses. The program included detailed information on what to teach parents of newborns. An intervention study was initiated where one group of nurses was taught according to the program and the other group followed the standard recommendations. The aim of this survey was to compare intervention and control group parents' responses regarding the cranial asymmetry prevention information that they had received from their nurses during their infant's first four months. Participants included 272 parents (180 intervention group, 92 control group) at 26 child health centers. A checklist was distributed to parents in conjunction with infants' four month health checkup. A significantly higher percentage of intervention group parents were aware of regular recommendations - alternate direction of the infant's head when putting the child to bed (82%: 64%, p=0.001), which pillow to use (92%: 80%, p=0.01), and when to remove the pillow (48%: 31%, p=0.006) - and five newly introduced recommendations compared to controls. Results indicate that educating child health nurses on prevention of cranial asymmetry works to increase parental awareness of what to do and how to do it safely.