141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

276827
Evalutation of the New York city cribs for kids program

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Martine Hackett, PhD , Department of Health Professions, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
Lorraine Boyd, MD, MPH , Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City, NY
Objective: Recognizing the association between the sleep environment and infant death, the New York City (NYC) Cribs for Kids (C4K) program focuses on improved knowledge and practices regarding safe sleep for infants in low-income NYC neighborhoods. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the program.

Methods: Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires were administered to families who participated in the C4K program to ascertain if there were changes in safe sleep knowledge, attitudes, and practices. From January 2008 to January 2010, staff administered post-surveys to a sample of families who previously completed the pre-test.

Results: A total of 187 program participants were included in the evaluation. In the pre-test, 42.5% of participants stated that they put their babies to sleep with an adult or child (an unsafe sleep environment) in comparison to only 5.5% of respondents during the post test (p<0.001). 32.4% of pre-test respondents were either unsure about their infants sleep position or placed their infants to sleep on their stomach or side, considered risk factors for accidental suffocation. In the post-test, this was reduced to 17.6%, (p=0.001). This decrease in placing infants in an unsafe sleep position was also reported for other caregivers (26.1% pre vs. 15.2% post; p=0.017). There was also a significant reduction in sleep clutter, (54.5 % pre vs. 43.3% post; p=0.028).

Conclusions: Program participants' knowledge and behavior regarding safe sleep and suffocation risk factors among infants improved. An education intervention combined with access to safe cribs may reduce the risk of accidental suffocation.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related nursing

Learning Objectives:
Assess the effectiveness of the NYC Cribs for Kids safe sleep education and crib distribution program.

Keywords: Infant Mortality, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was a deputy director at the NYC Department of Health and coordinated research of infant mortality for four years. In 2007 I created and managed the NYC Cribs for Kids safe sleep and crib distribution program and I co-authored a report on the epidemiology of infant sleep related injuries in NYC.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.