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A Statewide Hospital-Based Safe Infant Sleep Initiative: Measurement of Parental Knowledge and Behavior
R L Walcott1, T C Salm Ward2, J B Ingels3
1Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA. rlwalcott@uga.edu.
Insights
Georgia
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Sleep-related infant deaths are a significant cause of mortality in Georgia.
- Unsafe sleep practices among caregivers are strongly linked to these deaths.
- The Georgia Department of Public Health initiated the Safe to Sleep Hospital Initiative in 2016 to address this issue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate parental knowledge and behaviors regarding safe infant sleep post-initiative.
- To identify family characteristics and intervention components associated with safe sleep practices.
- To assess the effectiveness of the Georgia Safe to Sleep Hospital Initiative.
Main Methods:
- A web-based survey was administered to 420 parents of newborns in Georgia one month after hospital discharge.
- Data collection occurred between August and October 2016, following the initiative's launch.
- Outcomes included measures of parental knowledge and infant sleep behaviors (position and location).
Main Results:
- High parental knowledge of recommended infant sleep position (90%) and location (85%) was observed.
- Receiving safe sleep information in the hospital correlated significantly with safer sleep behaviors.
- Medicaid parents who received bassinets were less likely to bed-share (OR 0.26).
Conclusions:
- The Georgia Safe to Sleep Hospital Initiative appears successful in promoting parental knowledge and safe sleep behaviors.
- Hospital-based education and provision of resources like bassinets may reduce unsafe practices such as bed-sharing, particularly among vulnerable populations.
- Statewide initiatives are effective in improving infant safe sleep practices.
Abstract:
Sleep-related infant deaths are a leading cause of infant mortality in Georgia, and these deaths are largely associated with unsafe sleep practices among caregivers. In early 2016, the Georgia Department of Public Health launched the Georgia Safe to Sleep Hospital Initiative, providing hospitals with safe infant sleep information and educational materials to be distributed to families and newborns. This study examined the knowledge and behaviors of a sample of Georgia parents after the implementation of the Hospital Initiative and identified the family characteristics and intervention components most closely associated with the knowledge and practice of safe infant sleep. The primary caretakers of all infants born in Georgia from August to October 2016 were invited to complete a web-based survey 1 month after hospital discharge. The final sample size included 420 parents of newborns, and the primary outcomes assessed included two measures of knowledge and four measures of infant sleep behaviors regarding infant sleep position and location. Most respondents demonstrated knowledge of the correct recommended sleep position (90%) and location (85%). Logistic regression revealed that receipt of information in the hospital was significantly correlated with safe sleep behaviors, and infant sleep habits tended to influence safe sleep practices. Additionally, Medicaid parents receiving bassinets from the hospital were 74% less likely to bed share (OR 0.26; 95% CI 0.007). Implementation of a statewide hospital initiative was associated with high levels of parental knowledge and behavior and may have been successful in reducing the practice of bed sharing among Medicaid parents.
