Development of a Mobile Health App to Teach Safe Infant Sleep Practices in the Pediatric Emergency Department

What this Trial Is About

Sudden Unexplained Infant Death SUID is the leading cause of death in infants between 28 days and 1 year old, with certain protective behaviors shown to reduce risk. This trial evaluates the addition of safe sleep education into the Safety in Seconds SIS mobile app, a tool previously used to teach car seat and fire safety, aiming to improve safe sleep knowledge and practices through a mobile health intervention in pediatric emergency departments PED. The study focuses on populations at higher risk for SUID, including racial and ethnic minorities and young mothers, particularly in urban areas with high infant mortality rates. Participants will be randomized to receive either safe sleep education through the updated SIS app or car seat safety education as an attention-matched control. The SIS app delivers tailored, theory-based educational messages after parents complete an assessment within the app. This study includes two groups one receiving the new safe sleep content and the other receiving existing car seat safety information. The trial will be conducted in the PED setting where families often have time and access to smartphones to engage with the app. During the study, caregivers will use the SIS app and complete surveys to measure changes in safe sleep behaviors at baseline and again one month later. Feedback will be gathered through follow-up surveys and interviews to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of using the app to deliver safe sleep education. The total duration for participant involvement includes initial app use during the PED visit and a follow-up period of one month for outcome assessment.

Incorporation of Safe Sleep Education Into m-Health Technology