Promoting safe sleep, tobacco cessation, and breastfeeding to rural women during the COVID-19 pandemic: Quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Background: Safe Sleep Community Baby Showers address strategies to prevent sleep-related infant deaths. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these events transitioned from in-person to virtual. Objective: This study describes outcomes of transitioning Safe Sleep Community Baby Showers to a virtual format and compares outcomes to previous in-person events. Methods: Participants from four rural Kansas counties were emailed the presurvey, provided educational materials (videos, livestream, or digital documents), and completed a postsurvey. Those who completed both surveys received a portable crib and wearable blanket. Within-group comparisons were assessed between pre- and postsurveys; between-group comparisons (virtual vs in-person) were assessed by postsurveys. Results: Based on data from 145 in-person and 74 virtual participants, virtual participants were more likely to be married (P