Volume 27, Issue 140, October 2023

Parental knowledge & awareness about Shaken Baby Syndrome in Hail city

Somaia Ibrahim^1♦, Hadeel Alzahrani², Gharam Alsalmi³, Reghd Alkhalifah⁴, Sarah Albarrak⁵, Lubna Aloufi⁶, Faisal Alqarqah⁷, Nawaf Alwahbi⁸, Shagn Elsdeeg⁹

¹Pediatrics, College of Medicine - Hail University, Hail, Saudi Arabia
²College of Medicine, Al-Baha University, Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia
³College of Medicine, Ibn Sina National College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
⁴College of Medicine, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia
⁵Medicine and Surgery, University of Hail College of Medicine, Hail, Saudi Arabia
⁶College of Medicine, Princess Norah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
⁷Family and Community Medicine, KKU, Abha, Saudi Arabia
⁸Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Model Health Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
⁹Almogterbine University, Khartoum, Sudan, Pediatrics, MCHH, Hail, Saudi Arabia

^♦Corresponding author
Pediatrics, College of Medicine - Hail University, Hail, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Background: Shaking the infant is a common behavior caregivers do to calm the infant when crying. In some conditions, shaking might lead to a serious medical condition; Shaken baby syndrome (SBS), or abusive head trauma (AHT), which may lead to death or permanent brain damage. It is not easy to estimate the number of SBS cases because many cases are underreported or never diagnosed. Raising awareness about SBS and helping people understand the risk of violently shaking a baby will help reducing its incidence. The study assessed knowledge and awareness about Shaken Baby Syndrome among Saudi parents in Hail, Saudi Arabia. Method: A crosssectional study using an online questionnaire to collect responses from eligible primary caregivers of children in Hail region. Knowledge, awareness, and practices related to SBS were recorded and statistically analyzed. Result: (78.6%) of the participants had poor knowledge levels, and females demonstrated significantly more 'poor' knowledge levels than males (p=0.015). 45.3% reported shaking their baby when they cry. Most of the participants (96.4%) demanded more information regarding SBS, and most preferred healthcare staff to be the source of such data (82.3%). Conclusion: A public health primary prevention and intervention approach that educates caregivers and society about normal infant development and the importance of early increased infant crying can avoid AHT and other forms of infant maltreatment.

Keywords: Abusive head trauma, Shaken baby syndrome, prevention, child abuse.

Medical Science, 2023, 27, e365ms3205

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v27i140.e365ms3205

Published: 11 October 2023