April 17, 2009

UAB Pediatrics.

• Hospital-based program for new parents

• Teaches healthy ways to respond to crying, other issues

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Shaken Baby Prevention Program has received the Programs that Work Award from the City of Birmingham Mayor's Office-Division of Youth Services.

The award highlights grassroots, community-based programs that are making a tangible difference in the lives of Birmingham's youth. It was presented to the program's administrators on the DYS "Spotlight on Youth" television show on Bright House Networks Channel 4. The public can tune in for the award presentation throughout the month of April on Mondays at 6 p.m., Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Fridays at 9 p.m.

The Shaken Baby Prevention Program is housed in the UAB Department of Pediatrics. It is a hospital-based maternity education program within UAB Hospital, Cooper Green Mercy Hospital and UAB Medical West designed to decrease the number of child abuse and shaken baby syndrome victims in Alabama. Through a partnership with the Children's Trust Fund of Alabama and the Alabama Child Death Review System, parents are educated on the dangers of shaking small children and taught healthy ways to respond to infant crying before they leave the hospital with their new baby.

An estimated 1,200 to 1,400 cases of shaken baby syndrome occur each year in the United States. Shaken baby syndrome, which is marked by brain trauma resulting from violent shaking, occurs most often in infants ages 2 years old and younger.

"Forcibly shaking a baby can cause severe head injuries, even if the baby's head doesn't hit anything," said Amanda Soong, M.D., program director and assistant professor of pediatrics at UAB. "And the consequences are devastating. Babies may suffer permanent brain damage or die."

Before newborns are discharged from the hospital, nursing staff show parents a video, review printed materials with them and ask them to sign a statement that they completed the training. Parents also are given a toll-free number to call if they have questions or are unable to console their child.

"The aim is to teach parents of newborns, before they leave the hospital, about the dangers of shaking their babies and to give them healthy ways to respond to their infant's crying and other stresses of being a parent," Soong said.

Along with the hospital-based work, the Shaken Baby Prevention Program is active in the community. The program administers community and school education events as well as trainings for nurses, social workers and child-care providers to increase awareness of the dangers of shaking an infant and to teach safe and effective methods to calm a crying infant. It is also supporting Alabama legislation to provide shaken baby syndrome/child abuse prevention education in all birthing hospitals and licensed daycares throughout the state, as well as developing a methodology to estimate the number of shaken baby syndrome cases in Jefferson County and throughout the state.

In addition to the award from the city, the UAB Shaken Baby Prevention Program also recently received a $30,000 grant from the Children's Trust Fund of Alabama to help fund the program and was nominated for the Childcare Resources 2009 Children's Advocate Award.

About UAB

The UAB Department of Pediatrics provides a diverse and extensive spectrum of medical expertise and health care services, from primary care to subspecialty services. The department has earned a reputation as one of the finest in the country for both healing and learning, and is committed to research. It consistently ranks in the top 10 among all departments of pediatrics in the country in NIH funding.