Lack of delivery of an infant crying plan to women who gave birth in France: frequency and determinants.

OBJECTIVE

Infant crying plans are the most-used programs for preventing abusive head trauma. We describe the frequency and determinants of lack of delivery of an infant crying plan among women giving birth in France.

STUDY

DESIGN

We used data from the French National Perinatal Survey, a population-based cross-sectional prospective study conducted in all maternity units during a 1-week period in 2021. At 2 months' postpartum, mothers were asked "During your pregnancy and after delivery, have you received any infant crying plan?". Hierarchical logistic models were used to identify determinants of a negative answer by mothers.

RESULTS

Of the 7139 mothers analyzed, 3579 (50.1 %) reported not having received any infant crying plan. The main determinants independently associated with lack of delivery of an infant crying plan were maternal age ≥ 30 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.31; 95 % CI 1.15-1.50), multiparity (aOR 1.36; 95 % CI 1.18-1.56), reported sleep deprivation (aOR 1.18; 95 % CI 1.05-1.31), not attending birth and parenting preparation sessions (aOR 1.35; 95 % CI 1.18-1.53), and not having had a home visit from a nursery nurse since delivery (aOR 1.59; 95 % CI 1.36-1.86).

CONCLUSION

The high frequency of mothers reporting that they did not receive any infant crying plan at 2 months' postpartum reflects a lack of prioritization of programs for preventing abusive head trauma among perinatal ones or the lack of efficacy of programs to improve knowledge. The determinants identified could guide targeted interventions to address disparities in information provision, ensuring equitable access to this essential prevention knowledge.