Education on Abusive Head Trauma in North Carolina Hospitals

Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma Prevention Initiatives: A Literature Review

“…This program was replicated in upstate New York, also yielding a significant reduction of 75% in the number of AHT cases after program implementation (Altman et al, 2011), indicating the effectiveness of this initiative in the prevention of this form of abuse. Based on the promising results of studies by Dias et al (2005) and Altman et al (2011), several other initiatives seeking to raise awareness of AHT were developed, with emphasis on the program The Period of PURPLE Crying Barr et al, 2015;Barr, Rivara, et al, 2009;Fujiwara, 2015;Fujiwara et al, 2012;Hennink-Kaminski & Dougall, 2009;Reese et al, 2014;Runyan et al, 2009;Shanahan, Nocera, Zolotor, Sellers, & Runyan, 2011;Stephens et al, 2014;Stewart et al, 2011). The development of this initiative was the starting point for the creation of a set of preventive materials entitled, The Period of PURPLE Crying (PURPLE; Runyan et al, 2009).…”

Public Health Approaches to Safeguarding Children

“…Child maltreatment is increasingly being understood within a public health framework (Barlow and Calam, ; Gilbert et al , ; Putnam‐Hornstein et al , ; Segal and Dalziel, ; Shanahan et al , ; World Health Organization, ). Globally and nationally, the high numbers of children and young people affected by child abuse and neglect are increasing as knowledge and understanding about the phenomena grow, and the escalating cost measured in fiscal, social and health terms is recognised.…”

“…In contrast, Meghan Shanahan and her colleagues () discuss prevention strategies which rely upon educational methods with exclusive attention paid to abusive head trauma (AHT) in infants. The authors consider AHT education provided in maternity care hospitals in North Carolina.…”

“…Unlike other US states, North Carolina has no legal mandate to provide new parents with education about the dangers of shaking babies. Shanahan et al () describe AHT prevention education and estimate the percentage of new parents who could receive this education prior to the start of a new state education campaign based on a highly successful campaign in western New York. Their findings suggest that, although the approaches and intensity of AHT education varies, the majority of North Carolina maternity units provide information and education about the normality of infant crying, the dangers of shaking a baby and how to cope with a crying baby.…”