Safe sleep advice to safe sleep action: Trial of an innovative Safe Infant Sleep Enabler—The Pepi-Pod

Abstract

Despite dramatic reductions in sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) during the last 20 years in Australia, the same relative reductions have not been seen in Indigenous infant mortality. While forms of co-sleeping may reduce SUDI risk in some cultural groups and enhance breastfeeding, some bed-sharing environments are extremely hazardous for infants. Innovative strategies which allow for benefits of bed-sharing, respect cultural norms and infant carepractices, whilst enabling the infant to sleep in a safe environment are necessary if a reduction in SUDI is to be achieved amongst Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander communities. The Pepi-Pod initiative is an innovative safe sleep enabler combined within a targeted safe sleeping health promotion initiative for families with known risk factors for SUDI. The Pepi-Pod initiative is a polypropylene box transformed into an infant bed through addition of aculturally suitable fabric cover and fitted mattress. The Pepi-Pod initiative draws attention away from problems of vulnerable babies in unsafe sleep situations and instead focuses on a solution: support for parents; protection for baby. Breaking the ‘smoking and bed-sharing’ combination is a major benefit. Interim findings of this initiative in New Zealand Maori families and displaced earthquake victims are positive. There is limited literature evaluating practical safe sleep enablers which allow for close parent–baby proximity and bed-sharing, within a safer infant sleep environment. An exploratory descriptive design will be used to report parent experiences the Pepi-Pod initiative in fiveAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families; the first trial of the Pepi-Podin Australia. Health services have a responsibility to follow through from simply informing about safe infant sleep practice to enabling safe infant sleep action. Novel approaches are required if we are to achieve further reductions in sudden infant deaths. Evaluating innovative and culturally respectful strategies to reduce SUDI risk will better inform the evidence-base used by educators, clinicians, researchers and policy makers in supporting parents to use safe infant sleeping strategies.;