We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
An intervention to discourage Australian mothers from unnecessarily exposing their babies to the sun for therapeutic reasons.
- Authors
Harrison, Simone; Nowak, Madeleine; Devine, Susan; Saunders, Vicki; Smith, Annika; Buettner, Petra
- Abstract
Parents play a key role in children's sun-protective behaviour, with good sun-protective habits established early tending to be sustained. We designed a maternity hospital-based educational intervention to reduce myths that could result in mothers intentionally sunning their babies. Interviews were conducted with two cross-sections of healthy post-partum inpatients in the maternity ward of a large regional public hospital. The first group (n = 106) was recruited before the commencement of educational in-services for maternity nursing staff; the second group (n = 203) was interviewed after the last staff in-service session. More pre-intervention than post-intervention women reported they would expose their baby to sunlight to: treat suspected jaundice (28.8% vs. 13.3%; p < 0.001) or help their baby's skin adapt to sunlight (10.5% vs. 2.5%; p = 0.003). Fewer post-intervention women indicated they would sun themselves to treat breastfeeding-associated sore/cracked nipples (7.6% vs. 2%; p = 0.026). This educational intervention should be used to educate parents, health professionals and students.
- Publication
Journal of tropical pediatrics, 2013, Vol 59, Issue 5, p403
- ISSN
1465-3664
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1093/tropej/fmt042