MCH Student:

Nicki Cupit

Date of Defense:

December 6, 2016

Abstract:

The most common causes of postneonatal death (infants over the age of one-month) are related to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sleep factors. In an effort to reduce the number of sleep-related infant deaths in Wisconsin, the Sleep Baby Safe training was developed by the Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin. A process evaluation employing a mixed-methods approach was used to answer the following evaluation questions about the Sleep Baby Safe training: (1) Does the training program increase home visitors’ and child care providers’ knowledge of and confidence in discussing safe sleep practices with families? (2) Is the training program associated with increased family knowledge and utilization of safe sleep practices? (3) Are the training materials culturally relevant for the diverse families that are served by home visitors and child care providers? (4) What quality improvement actions can be used to improve the training program? and (5) How can the training program be sustainable and disseminated to a wider audience? Key findings from the evaluation reveal the training increases participants’ knowledge of safe sleep, the training increases participants’ confidence in discussing and answering families’ questions about safe sleep, and home visitors observe changes in the way families put their infants to sleep. The training provides the opportunity for home visitors, child care providers, and potentially other professionals working with families to offer a consistent and accurate message about safe sleep to families. Based on the Sleep Baby Safe training program evaluation, it is recommended that the Sleep Baby Safe training continue as implemented, but with a few additions and adjustments that could make it even more effective in reaching more professionals and families with infants to increase the likelihood of infants sleeping safely and decrease the rate of sleep-related SUID cases.