TY  - JOUR
AU  - Pretorius, Kelly
AU  - Kang, Sookja
AU  - Choi, Eunju
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/4/23
TI  - Photos Shared on Facebook in the Context of Safe Sleep Recommendations: Content Analysis of Images
JO  - JMIR Pediatr Parent
SP  - e54610
VL  - 7
KW  - SUID
KW  - SIDS
KW  - parenting
KW  - safe sleep
KW  - photo analysis
KW  - pediatric
KW  - pediatrics
KW  - paediatric
KW  - paediatrics
KW  - infant
KW  - infants
KW  - infancy
KW  - baby
KW  - babies
KW  - neonate
KW  - neonates
KW  - neonatal
KW  - newborn
KW  - newborns
KW  - sleep
KW  - safety
KW  - death
KW  - mortality
KW  - social media
KW  - picture
KW  - pictures
KW  - photo
KW  - photos
KW  - photographs
KW  - image
KW  - images
KW  - Facebook
KW  - mother
KW  - mothers
KW  - parent
KW  - co-sleeping
KW  - sudden infant death
KW  - sudden unexpected infant death
KW  - adherence
KW  - parent education
KW  - parents' education
KW  - awareness
AB  - Background: Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) remains a leading cause of infant mortality; therefore, understanding parental practices of infant sleep at home is essential. Since social media analyses yield invaluable patient perspectives, understanding sleep practices in the context of safe sleep recommendations via a Facebook mothers’ group is instrumental for policy makers, health care providers, and researchers. Objective: This study aimed to identify photos shared by mothers discussing SUID and safe sleep online and assess their consistency with infant sleep guidelines per the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). We hypothesized the photos would not be consistent with guidelines based on prior research and increasing rates of accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. Methods: Data were extracted from a Facebook mothers’ group in May 2019. After trialing various search terms, searching for the term “SIDS” on the selected Facebook group resulted in the most relevant discussions on SUID and safe sleep. The resulting data, including 20 posts and 912 comments among 512 mothers, were extracted and underwent qualitative descriptive content analysis. In completing the extraction and subsequent analysis, 24 shared personal photos were identified among the discussions. Of the photos, 14 pertained to the infant sleep environment. Photos of the infant sleep environment were then assessed for consistency with safe sleep guidelines per the AAP standards by 2 separate reviewers. Results: Of the shared photos relating to the infant sleep environment, 86% (12/14) were not consistent with AAP safe sleep guidelines. Specific inconsistencies included prone sleeping, foreign objects in the sleeping environment, and use of infant sleeping devices. Use of infant monitoring devices was also identified. Conclusions: This study is unique because the photos originated from the home setting, were in the context of SUID and safe sleep, and were obtained without researcher interference. Despite study limitations, the commonality of prone sleeping, foreign objects, and the use of both infant sleep and monitoring devices (ie, overall inconsistency regarding AAP safe sleep guidelines) sets the stage for future investigation regarding parental barriers to practicing safe infant sleep and has implications for policy makers, clinicians, and researchers. 
SN  - 2561-6722
UR  - https://pediatrics.jmir.org/2024/1/e54610
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/54610
DO  - 10.2196/54610
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/54610
ER  -