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Traumatic Head Injury - Child Maltreatment/Shaken Baby Syndrome (THI-CM/SBS) is a preventable injury that can result in lifelong disability or death in Canada’s youngest and most vulnerable population, with the majority of victims under one year of age.4
PURPLE is a recognized international evidence-based injury prevention program. Our research highlights the success of the PURPLE program and universal delivery in BC.
Key Finding: Nurses’ role in engaging parents in conversations about PURPLE messages over multiple timepoints within a structured universal program model resulted in a 30% decrease in physical abuse hospitalization rates since the implementation of PURPLE
Key finding: This is the first North American study to assess the role that neighborhood material (education, employment, and income) and social (living alone, single-parent families, and separated/divorced families) deprivation play in the risks and rates of AHT and to emphasize neighbourhood inequities in THI-CM cases. This study highlights that THI-CM follows a social gradient, in which rates increase directly and proportionately with each quintile increase in neighbourhood material and social deprivation.
Key finding: PURPLE has demonstrated a positive return on investment to society and cost avoidance by the healthcare system. The investment of $5 per newborn through the PURPLE program resulted in a $274 and $14 per child cost avoidance by society and by the healthcare system.
Key Finding: There was a 35% reduction in THI-CM rates per 100,000 Person-Years, BC-wide for infants (ages 0-24 months). Despite a low initial incidence and economic recession, reductions in THI-CM may be achievable with a system-wide implementation of a comprehensive parental education prevention program, such as PURPLE.
Winner of Child Abuse & Neglect Article of the Year Award
Media Coverage: CBC News
Key Finding: Improved parental knowledge of the characteristics of normal crying can reduce the number of crying complaints that present at emergency in the early months of an infant's life. This study showed a reduction in the number of pediatric emergency department visits at BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH) for crying complaints by 29.5%.
Key Finding: Use of the PURPLE education materials result in higher scores in knowledge about early infant crying and the dangers of shaking, and in sharing information about behaviours considered to be important for the prevention of shaking.
Current research PSBSBC is engaged in includes:
Purpose of study: to determine if physical abuse rates of children ≤ 24-months-old have also decreased in BC due to PURPLE.
Purpose of study: to better understand the burden of COVID 19 and of 0≤2yrs traumatic head injury consequences during the COVID19 pandemic to inform prevention now and in future.
Purpose of study: to explore a co-creation process utilizing evidence-based injury prevention program core education components and lived experiences related to infant crying, soothing and coping strategies to develop a digital health literacy tool. A CIHR Planning and Dissemination Grant was received to support this work in 2023.
We use process and outcome evaluations to monitor the success of the program in reducing the incidence of THI-CM cases in BC. Evaluation allows the PSBSBC team to assess the program delivery and efficacy at various levels, including organizational, community, health authority and provincially.
To determine program is delivered with fidelity and meets provider and parent/caregivers needs with the aim to reduce THI-CM/SBS incidence in BC.
Quantitative and qualitative data collection to ensure that the program is being delivered as expected and is responsive to current situations.
Since 2014, over 2,500 surveys have been completed by parents and caregivers on the effectiveness of the program.Some of the positive feedback from parents/caregivers we have heard over the years.
Since 2012, over 1,565 surveys have been completed across all health authorities and communities. Feedback helps shape program resources, delivery, and evaluation methods.
To determine the efficacy of the PURPLE program in reducing the incidence of THI-CM/SBS in BC.
Since launching PURPLE in BC in 2009, the rate of THI-CM/SBS in BC has steadily decreased. Ongoing surveillance shows that in BC there has been a decrease of 35% in the average incidence rate of THI-CM/SBS per 100,000 person-years after the program was implemented1.
Footnote
Your opinion on the PURPLE Crying program helps us ensure that we are meeting the needs of parents and caregivers of newborns and the providers that support them in BC. Feedback helps us shape program fidelity, delivery, and outreach. Your opinion matters!
Please access either the provider or parent survey using the QR codes below. Surveys take approximately 3-5 minutes. If the QR code does not work use the links below. Survey respondents are anonymous and no personal or identifying information is collected.
