Risk Reduction Education

Campaign Components

SUID/SIDS programs often provide expertise, staff and funding to support SIDS risk reduction and safe sleep educational efforts. These efforts can take many forms including individual counseling and education, group training sessions, media campaigns and dissemination of printed materials. No matter what type of campaign you choose to undertake, there are materials and resources available to support your efforts.

Distribute Resources

A key function of SUID/SIDS programs is to distribute educational materials including pamphlets, brochures, posters and door hangers to community-based organizations, pregnant women, grandparents and child care providers as well as publicizing the availability of free or low-cost resources to consumers and providers.2

Program staff can distribute written materials to:

• Mothers at their prenatal classes, midwives/OB offices, beauty shops and supply stores, faith settings, baby showers, health fairs, PTA meetings, WIC clinics, MOMS groups, sororities, child care provider centers and drug and grocery stores, for example.
• Grandparents at faith settings, bingo, AARP meetings, beauty shops and senior housing, for example.
• Fathers at barbershops, sporting events, faith settings, prenatal classes and fraternities, for example.

Educational resources can either be produced by your organization or obtained through other organizations. There are many sources of excellent SIDS risk reduction materials available for free or low-cost. At the end of the chapter, some of the best sources for materials including brochures, door hangers, fact sheets and videos are listed.

If you decide to develop new materials or adapt existing materials, there are many resources available to assist in the implementation and evaluation of your health educational efforts. It may be necessary and helpful to collaborate with communitybased organizations to conduct SIDS risk reduction and safe sleep education. For more information, see Chapter 7: Partnerships and Collaborations.

Developed by the Program Support Center at First Candle with collaborative assistance from the Sudden and Unexpected Infant/Child Death and Pregnancy Loss Centers.