Community-based approaches to infant safe sleep and breastfeeding promotion: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: In the U.S., sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) due to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed (ASSB) are increasing, with disparities by race/ethnicity. While breastfeeding is a protective factor against infant mortality, racial/ethnic disparities are present in its uptake, and motivations to breastfeed are also often coupled with non-recommended infant sleep practices that are associated with infant sleep deaths. Combining infant safe sleep (ISS) and breastfeeding promotion on the community level presents opportunities to address racial/ethnic disparities and associated socioeconomic, cultural, and psychosocial influences. METHODS: We completed a descriptive qualitative hermeneutical phenomenology using thematic analysis of focus group data. We examined the phenomenon of community-level providers promoting ISS and breastfeeding in communities vulnerable to ISS and breastfeeding disparities. We asked eighteen informants participating in a national quality improvement collaborative about i.) areas requiring additional support to meet community needs around ISS and breastfeeding, and ii.) recommendations on tools to improve their work promoting ISS and breastfeeding. RESULTS: We identified four themes: i.) education and dissemination, ii.) relationship building and social support, iii.) working with clients' personal circumstances and considerations, and iv.) tools and systems. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support embedding risk-mitigation approaches in ISS education; relationship building between providers, clients, and peers; and the provision of ISS and breastfeeding supportive material resources with educational opportunities. These findings may be used to inform community-level provider approaches to ISS and breastfeeding promotion.

Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Parent Education in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND: March of Dimes partners with hospitals across the country to implement NICU Family Support (NFS) Core Curriculum, a program providing education to parents in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the country. PURPOSE: This NFS project's goal was to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of NICU parent education by establishing consistency, improving quality, and identifying best practices. METHODS/SEARCH STRATEGY: A 5 topic curriculum was developed and implemented across NFS program sites. The project studied 4 main outcomes of interest related to efficiency and effectiveness: increase in parenting confidence, parent learning, knowledge change, and satisfaction. Data were collected from speakers and attendees immediately following educational sessions. Analytical approaches included descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, and response rate, and inferential approaches such as t test, χ, and analysis of variance. FINDINGS/RESULTS: Findings suggest that the NFS Core Curriculum improved both program efficiency and effectiveness. Sessions fully implemented according to recommended strategies had better outcomes than sessions not fully implemented according to recommended strategies (P < .0001). Across the 3648 attendees at 41 sites, 77% of parents reported learning "a lot" at the session they attended and 85% of attendees reported increased confidence. Attendees also reported positive knowledge change and high satisfaction. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Parent education best practices identified through this initiative can be utilized for future NFS Core Curriculum topics and potentially generalized to all NICU parent education and family education in other hospital intensive care units. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Content and best practices identified through this project will require regular review to ensure medical accuracy and appropriateness of best practices as the physical design of NICUs evolves.

Association Between Infant Mortality Attributable to Birth Defects and Payment Source for Delivery - United States, 2011-2013.

Birth defects are a leading cause of infant mortality in the United States (1), accounting for approximately 20% of infant deaths. The rate of infant mortality attributable to birth defects (IMBD) in the United States in 2014 was 11.9 per 10,000 live births (1). Rates of IMBD differ by race/ethnicity (2), age group at death (2), and gestational age at birth (3). Insurance type is associated with survival among infants with congenital heart defects (CHD) (4). In 2003, a checkbox indicating principal payment source for delivery was added to the U.S. standard birth certificate (5). To assess IMBD by payment source for delivery, CDC analyzed linked U.S. birth/infant death data for 2011-2013 from states that adopted the 2003 revision of the birth certificate. The results indicated that IMBD rates for preterm (<37 weeks of gestation) and term (≥37 weeks) infants whose deliveries were covered by Medicaid were higher during the neonatal (<28 days) and postneonatal (≥28 days to <1 year) periods compared with infants whose deliveries were covered by private insurance. Similar differences in postneonatal mortality were observed for the three most common categories of birth defects listed as a cause of death: central nervous system (CNS) defects, CHD, and chromosomal abnormalities. Strategies to ensure quality of care and access to care might reduce the difference between deliveries covered by Medicaid and those covered by private insurance.

Close to me: enhancing kangaroo care practice for NICU staff and parents.

PURPOSE: The benefits of kangaroo care (KC) are well supported by previously published studies, yet KC is offered inconsistently and faces obstacles in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The March of Dimes designed Close to Me to facilitate and increase KC in NICUs. The program incorporates KC education for nurses and parents, as well as awareness and comfort components. The purpose of this study was to assess whether Close to Me increased favorable attitudes toward KC among nurses and parents, and changed nurse and parent behaviors to implement KC earlier, more often and for longer duration. SUBJECTS AND DESIGN: This study took place in 5 NICUs with 48 nurse participants and 101 parent participants. It used a pre-/postprogram implementation design for nurses and a nonequivalent comparison versus intervention group design for parents. METHODS: Nurses and parents were surveyed on knowledge, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and behavior. Comparisons were made pre- and postprogram implementation for nurses and between intervention and comparison groups for parents. Nurse focus groups were conducted pre- and postimplementation and analyzed using a constant comparative analysis method. Parents recorded care behaviors and satisfaction in journals, which were analyzed similarly. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES/PRINCIPAL RESULTS: After the Close to Me intervention, nurses reported more positive attitudes toward KC (P = .04), increased transfer of ventilated babies from incubators to parents (P = .01), and more parents requesting KC. Parents who received Close to Me had greater knowledge about KC (P = .03) compared with those who did not. With the Close to Me intervention, all babies born at less than 28 weeks' gestation had KC by the age of 12 days, whereas without the intervention, some did not have KC until the age of 31 days (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: March of Dimes Close to Me improved knowledge and behavior regarding KC in NICUs. By offering KC education to parents, providing KC awareness and comfort components, and providing information and encouragement on the benefits and feasibility of KC to nurses, hospitals can potentially promote earlier and more frequent use of KC, particularly with infants born less than 28 weeks' gestation.

Community infant safe sleep and breastfeeding promotion and population level-outcomes: A mixed methods study.

PROBLEM: In the U.S., sudden unexpected infant deaths due to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed are increasing. Though breastfeeding is a protective factor against sudden unexpected infant death, motivations to breastfeed often couple with unsafe infant sleep practices. Racial/ethnic disparities are present in sudden unexpected infant death, accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, and breastfeeding. BACKGROUND: Promoting infant safe sleep and breastfeeding through community-level initiatives could address disparities in related outcomes. AIM: Investigate the relationship between community-level strategies and associated state-level outcomes for infant safe sleep and breastfeeding. METHODS: We employed an intervention mixed methods framework and exploratory sequential design. The qualitative component entailed a hermeneutical phenomenological framework to analyze key informant interview data from seven U.S. community-level providers participating in a practice improvement initiative. The quantitative component entailed descriptively analyzing infant safe sleep and breastfeeding indicators from the 2019 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and Ohio Pregnancy Assessment Survey. Qualitative and quantitative data were linked through embedded integration. FINDINGS: We identified two mixed insights: gaps in promotion and outcomes, and persistent disparities between infant safe sleep and breastfeeding promotion and outcomes. DISCUSSION: Our findings indicate conversational approaches could improve infant safe sleep and breastfeeding promotion, outcomes, and relative disparities. We find that community collaboration is needed to address organizational capacity limitations in promoting infant safe sleep and breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: Community-level organizations and providers should consider tailoring program offerings and care delivery to include conversational approaches and community collaboration to promote infant safe sleep and breastfeeding and decrease relative disparities in outcomes.

Maternity Care Clinicians' Experiences Promoting Infant Safe Sleep and Breastfeeding During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the phenomenon of clinicians' perceptions and experiences of promoting infant safe sleep (ISS) and breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Descriptive qualitative hermeneutical phenomenology of key informant interviews conducted as part of a quality improvement initiative. SETTING: Maternity care services of 10 U.S. hospitals from April through September 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Ten hospital teams, including 29 clinicians. INTERVENTION: Participants were part of a national quality improvement intervention focused on promoting ISS and breastfeeding. Participants were asked about challenges and opportunities promoting ISS and breastfeeding during the pandemic. RESULTS: We identified four themes summarizing the experiences and perceptions of clinicians promoting ISS and breastfeeding in the COVID-19 pandemic: Strain on Clinicians Related to Hospital Policies, Coordination, and Capacity; Effects of Isolation for Parentsin Labor and Delivery; ReevaluatingOutpatient Follow-Up Care andSupport; and AdoptingShared Decision-Makingaround ISS andBreastfeeding. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the need for physical and psychosocial care to reduce crisis-related burnout for clinicians to encourage the continued provision of ISS and breastfeeding education, particularly while navigating capacity constraints. Our findings also suggest that clinicians perceived that parents may require additional support to enhance potentially limited ISS and breastfeeding education. These findings may be used to inform approaches to parental and clinician maternity care support in future public health crises.

The changing epidemiology of multiple births in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To describe changes in the epidemiology of multiple births in the United States from 1980 to 1999 by race, maternal age, and region; and to examine the impact of these changes on birth weight-specific infant mortality rates for singleton and multiple births. METHODS: Retrospective univariate and multivariable analyses were conducted using vital statistics data from the National Center for Health Statistics. RESULTS: Between 1980 and 1999, the overall multiple birth ratio increased 59% (from 19.3 to 30.7 multiple births per 1000 live births, P <.001), with rates among whites increasing more rapidly than among blacks. Women of advanced maternal age, especially those aged 30-34, 35-39, and 40-44 experienced the greatest increases (62%, 81%, and 110%, respectively). Although all regions of the United States experienced increases in multiple birth ratios between 1991 and 1999, the Northeast had the highest twin (33.9 per 1000 live births) and higher order birth ratios (280.5 per 100,000 live births), even after adjusting for maternal age and race. Between 1989 and 1999, multiple births experienced greater declines in infant mortality than singletons in all birth weight categories. Consequently, very low birth weight and moderately low birth weight infant mortality rates among multiples were lower than among singletons. CONCLUSION: It is important to understand the changing epidemiology of multiple births, especially for women at highest risk (advanced maternal age, white race, Northeast residents). The attribution of infertility management requires further study. The differential birth weight-specific infant mortality for singletons and multiples demonstrates the importance of stratifying by plurality when assessing perinatal outcomes.

Fighting for the next generation: US Prematurity in 2030.

Preterm birth (PTB) is a serious problem, with >450 000 neonates born prematurely in the United States every year. Beginning in 1980, the United States experienced a nearly 3-decade rise in the PTB rate, peaking in 2006 at 12.8%. PTB has declined for 7 consecutive years to 11.4% in 2013, but it still accounts for 1 in 9 neonates born every year. In addition to elevated neonatal and infant mortality among those born preterm, many who survive will have lifelong morbidities and disabilities. Because of the burden of morbidity, disability, and mortality for PTB, as well as its impact more broadly on society, including excess annual costs estimated to be at least $26.2 billion by a committee for the Institute of Medicine, the March of Dimes initiated the Prematurity Campaign in 2003. In 2008 the March of Dimes established a goal of reducing the US PTB rate to 9.6% by 2020. However, the United States ranks extremely poorly for PTB rates among Very High Human Development Index (VHHDI) countries, subjecting untold numbers of neonates to unnecessary morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the March of Dimes proposes an aspirational goal of 5.5% for the 2030 US PTB rate, which would put the United States in the top 4 (10%) of 39 VHHDI countries. This 5.5% PTB rate is being achieved in VHHDI countries and by women from diverse settings receiving optimal care. This goal can be reached and will ensure a better start in life for many more neonates in the next generation.

Cost of hospitalization for preterm and low birth weight infants in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to estimate national hospital costs for infant admissions that are associated with preterm birth/low birth weight. METHODS: Infant (<1 year) hospital discharge data, including delivery, transfers, and readmissions, were analyzed by using the 2001 Nationwide Inpatient Sample from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample is a 20% sample of US hospitals weighted to approximately >35 million hospital discharges nationwide. Hospital costs, based on weighted cost-to-charge ratios, and lengths of stay were calculated for preterm/low birth weight infants, uncomplicated newborns, and all other infant hospitalizations and assessed by degree of prematurity, major complications, and expected payer. RESULTS: In 2001, 8% (384,200) of all 4.6 million infant stays nationwide included a diagnosis of preterm birth/low birth weight. Costs for these preterm/low birth weight admissions totaled $5.8 billion, representing 47% of the costs for all infant hospitalizations and 27% for all pediatric stays. Preterm/low birth weight infant stays averaged $15,100, with a mean length of stay of 12.9 days versus $600 and 1.9 days for uncomplicated newborns. Costs were highest for extremely preterm infants (<28 weeks' gestation/birth weight <1000 g), averaging $65,600, and for specific respiratory-related complications. However, two thirds of total hospitalization costs for preterm birth/low birth weight were for the substantial number of infants who were not extremely preterm. Of all preterm/low birth weight infant stays, 50% identified private/commercial insurance as the expected payer, and 42% designated Medicaid. CONCLUSIONS: Costs per infant hospitalization were highest for extremely preterm infants, although the larger number of moderately preterm/low birth weight infants contributed more to the overall costs. Preterm/low birth weight infants in the United States account for half of infant hospitalization costs and one quarter of pediatric costs, suggesting that major infant and pediatric cost savings could be realized by preventing preterm birth.

Neural tube defect-specific infant mortality in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Significant resources have been devoted to decreasing the rate of neural tube defects (NTDs) in the United States. Both surveillance data and birth records have strengths and limitations for evaluating the outcomes of this resource allocation. Cause-specific infant mortality data can be used as one measure to support evaluation efforts. METHODS: Using period linked birth/infant death data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), a retrospective analysis was performed to assess the NTD-specific IMR at the national, state, and regional level. NTD-specific IMRs for the United States were calculated from 1996 to 1998; stratified rates by race/ethnicity, maternal age, age at death, and gestational age and birthweight by type of NTD for the total US population were based on three-year aggregates (1996-98); state and regional rates were based on four-year aggregates (1995-98). RESULTS: Annual US NTD-specific IMRs significantly decreased between 1996 and 1998. Black infants were significantly less likely to die from an NTD when compared to white infants, largely attributed to the high rate of NTD-specific deaths among white Hispanic infants. Infants born to women less than 20 years were more likely than infants born to women in other age groups to die from an NTD. Seventy-six percent of all NTD-specific deaths occurred in the first 23 hours of life. Seventy-four percent of NTD-specific infant deaths were low birthweight and 58 percent were preterm. The Midwest had the highest rate of NTD-specific infant deaths among US regions. CONCLUSION: Enhanced prevention efforts are needed to address the disparities in infant deaths due to NTDs between Hispanics and other populations, as well as women under 20 years. Decreases in NTD-specific IMRs may have been impacted by fortification of enriched grain products with folic acid since these efforts were optional beginning in 1996. While there are limitations in cause-specific IMRs, NTD-specific IMRs can be used as one measure to assess the impact of public health interventions aimed at reducing NTDs, respectful of the relatively small numbers.