Crafting effective messages to enhance safe infant sleep. Issue 6 (4th June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Middlemiss, Wendy; Brownstein, Naomi C.; Nelson, Scott P.; Manchiraju, Srikant; Leddy, Miranda; Steliotes, Nicole; Grzywacz, Joseph G.
• Is Part Of: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Volume 33:Issue 6(2021)
• Page Start: 441
• Page End: 450
• Publication Date: 2021-06-04
• Subjects: Gist -- health messaging -- infant sleep -- safe sleep campaigns -- SIDS -- verbatim; Nurse practitioners -- Periodicals; Nursing -- Periodicals; 610.730692
• DOI: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000365
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2327-6886

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Health care professionals are continually challenged by the need to provide health information in a way that successfully changes health practices. Research has documented this as a concern in relation to safe infant sleep health campaigns. Often, caregivers' knowledge of recommended practices is not associated with a change in infant sleep choices. Purpose: Health campaigns, including most safe infant sleep efforts, often share specific risk factors and steps for avoiding risk, that is, in a verbatim format. Research has shown that caregivers' behavior may be more likely to change when presented with messages based on their general understanding of risk, that is, gist-based format. This research examines caregivers' responses as related to verbatim- and gist-based safe sleep information. Methods: Five hundred forty-one caregivers of infants were shown 12 images depicting infants in safe or unsafe sleep spaces. Images varied across three commercially available spaces, infant race, and presence/absence of one policy-based risk factor. Results: Differences in caregivers' discernment of safe and unsafe sleep images paralleled reported differences in knowledge of safe sleep recommendations. Discernment of safe/unsafe images was greater for White than Black caregivers, as well as for females in comparison with male caregivers. Gist-based considerations, such as familiarity with the sleeper depicted or infant race, were also associated with caregivers' discernment of safe/unsafe images. Implications for practice: Attending to both gist- and verbatim-based knowledge regarding safe infant sleep campaign information may help to effectively facilitate caregivers' ability to always create safe sleep spaces for their infants.