A new study by UBC and BC Children’s Hospital shows that a pioneering initiative to prevent shaken baby syndrome was associated with a 35 per cent reduction in the number of infants and toddlers admitted to B.C. hospitals with shaking-related injuries.
Ron Barr
The study, published in Child Abuse and Neglect, includes an investigation of the rates of shaken baby syndrome in B.C. and an assessment of the reach and impact of the Period of PURPLE Crying, a public education initiative informed by 50 years of research on infant crying.
Implemented in 2009, the Period of PURPLE Crying consists of in-person teaching from a maternity nurse or midwife, as well as a follow-up from a public health nurse as part of post-birth care. Parents learn that babies go through a normal developmental phase where they may cry for long periods of time and not respond to soothing. Parents also receive coping strategies for this challenging time.
To determine the incidence of shaken baby syndrome in B.C., researchers reviewed hospital admission records from 2007 to 2016. They tracked the number of children under two years old admitted to a hospital with abusive head trauma, the medical diagnosis for injuries caused when infants and toddlers are deliberately and violently shaken.
“Our research found that the Period of PURPLE Crying is associated with a significant reduction in shaken baby syndrome cases in British Columbia,” said lead author Ron Barr, a UBC Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics and a developmental pediatrician. “This is very important, because shaken baby syndrome is a devastating form of child abuse that often results in death or lifelong disability.”
Dr. Barr and co-author Marilyn Barr, founding Director of Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC, were instrumental in establishing the Period of PURPLE Crying, and both are members of the International Advisory Board at The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome in the United States.
Ian Pike
“Fewer babies are being admitted to hospital with traumatic brain injury caused by shaking,” said co-author Ian Pike, a UBC Professor of Pediatrics and Program Director for Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC. “Our next steps are to further evaluate the success of the program and continue to increase awareness of the risks of shaken baby syndrome in B.C.”
“We have heard from countless parents and caregivers about how the information in the Period of PURPLE Crying has helped them understand their baby’s crying and feel less frustrated,” said Ryan Steinbeigle, the executive director of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. “This new study is further evidence that the program helps families and keeps babies safe.”