Safety Baby Shower Intervention Improves Safe Sleep Knowledge and Self-Efficacy among Expectant Teens.

Introduction: Young, minority women are less likely to follow recommendations to prevent infant sleep-related deaths putting their children at risk. This study extended the past pre/post study designs to an RCT design and included both parent report and objective observation of the sleep environment.

Objective: This study focused on this population in a quantitative, randomized controlled trial using a low-cost, brief educational intervention, a Safety Baby Shower (SBS).

Generations in Families Talking Safe Sleep (GIFTSS): Randomized Controlled Trial of a Safe Sleep Educational Intervention for Young Pregnant Women.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation account for more than half of all Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID) and are leading causes of post-neonatal deaths. Risk reduction strategies, including supine sleep position and safe sleep environment, are critical for prevention. Teen mothers, especially those in rural, poor, southern states, are at higher risk due to low compliance with recommendations.

Is a driver's license age waiver worth a teen's life?

Background: Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens 14-19 years of age, with younger teen drivers at higher risk than older teens. Graduated driver licensing has been proven to reduce teen driver-related motor vehicle crashes and fatalities. Arkansas allows parents to request age waivers, which allow a teen to obtain a license for independent driving before the sixteenth birthday.

Paternal perception of infant sleep risks and safety.

Background: Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) results in 3400 sleep-related deaths yearly in the United States, yet caregivers' compliance with safe sleep recommendations remains less than optimal. Paternal caregiver's attitudes toward infant safe sleep messages are largely unaddressed, despite established differences between female and male caregiver perceptions. This study aimed to explore the determinants of safe sleep practices among male caregivers.

Child seat belt guidelines: Examining the 4 feet 9 inches rule as the standard.

Background: Current American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations regarding transition from child safety/booster seat to adult safety belt use indicate that children should be at least 4 feet 9 inches, 8 years old, or 80 pounds. Proper fit in the vehicle seat, assessed with a five-point fit test, should also be met. Although most children reach 4 feet 9 inches around age 8 years, each child and vehicle presents a unique combination; thus a child may not fit appropriately in all vehicle types using only the 4 feet 9 inches requirement.

Assessment of Safe Sleep: Validation of the Parent Newborn Sleep Safety Survey.

Purpose: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation account for more than half of all Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations describe the safest environments to protect infants. This study compared parent responses on the Newborn Sleep Safety Survey and observational assessments (N=72) of infant sleep environments in families thought to be at high-risk for non-compliance with AAP recommendations.

Child seat belt guidelines: Examining the 4 feet 9 inches rule as the standard.

Background: Current American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations regarding transition from child safety/booster seat to adult safety belt use indicate that children should be at least 4 feet 9 inches, 8 years old, or 80 pounds. Proper fit in the vehicle seat, assessed with a five-point fit test, should also be met. Although most children reach 4 feet 9 inches around age 8 years, each child and vehicle presents a unique combination; thus a child may not fit appropriately in all vehicle types using only the 4 feet 9 inches requirement.

Child Passenger Restraint System Misuse in Rural Versus Urban Children: A Multisite Case-Control Study.

Objectives: Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of childhood fatality, making use of properly installed child passenger restraint system (CRS) a public health priority. Motor vehicle crashes in rural environments are associated with increased injuries and fatalities, and overall CRS use tends to be lower compared with urban populations. However, it remains unclear if proper installation of car seats is lower in a rural population compared with a similar matched urban population.

Grandmothers' Beliefs and Practices in Infant Safe Sleep.

Background Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation are leading causes of infant mortality. Supine sleep position and use of appropriate sleep surfaces reduce SIDS risk but are not universally practiced. Mothers' decisions about sleep position and environment may be influenced by guidance provided by infants' grandmothers and other caregivers.

The physician's role in infant and child death review in Arkansas.

Arkansas has higher infant and child death rates than the United States overall. Multidisciplinary Infant and Child Death Review Teams are tasked to provide detailed information about unexpected infant and child deaths from the perspective of the affected community. The goals of the review are to develop specific intervention and prevention measures to decrease pediatric deaths, and examine the processes utilized by agencies to influence changes in policies, procedures and law.

Promoting use of booster seats in rural areas through community sports programs.

Background: Booster seats reduce mortality and morbidity for young children in car crashes, but use is low, particularly in rural areas. This study targeted rural communities in 4 states using a community sports-based approach.

Objective: The Strike Out Child Passenger Injury (Strike Out) intervention incorporated education about booster seat use in children ages 4-7 years within instructional baseball programs.

Barriers and facilitators to all-terrain vehicle helmet use.

Background: The burden of all-terrain vehicle (ATV)-related injuries and deaths in the pediatric population has increased dramatically during the past decade. Brain injuries represent a large proportion of these injuries and are the leading cause of death among those injured. Despite the risk involved in operating these vehicles, helmet use remains low.

Making the message meaningful: a qualitative assessment of media promoting all-terrain vehicle safety.

Background: Millions of all-terrain vehicles (ATV) are used around the world for recreation by both adults and youth. This increase in use has led to a substantial increase in the number of injuries and fatalities each year. Effective strategies for reducing this incidence are clearly needed; however, minimal research exists regarding effective educational interventions.

"Cubs Click It For Safety": a school-based intervention for Tween passenger safety.

Background: Children ages 8-12 years, also called "Tweens," demonstrate a number of risk factors for motor vehicle injury, including lack of restraint use and front seating position, yet few interventions have targeted this group. We implemented a school-based educational intervention designed to increase awareness and encourage safer transportation of these children.

Materials: A local school collaborated with the study team to develop educational materials based on the school mascot and allowed use of school-based media (bulletin boards, closed circuit TV, and newsletters) to deliver key messages about restraint use and back seating position.