Communication Guide & Outreach Tips

Background

In 2021, the Maternal and Child Health Section (MCH) of the Oregon Public Health Division set out to develop a toolkit providing consistent messages that could be shared across settings in a culturally responsive way, thus creating community-wide norms and expectations regarding safe sleep practices. The Oregon Safe Sleep Coalition was formed to act as an inviting, public-facing brand for the toolkit.

The toolkit was informed by:

  • A landscape assessment of 35+ research documents/sources.

  • 15 in-depth interviews to test messages with childcare providers who cared for children younger than 6 months of age.

  • In-depth interviews with Black/African American and American Indian/Alaska Native mothers in Oregon with a child six months old or younger.

  • Social media A/B testing with Black/African American mothers and grandmothers and American Indian/Alaska Native mothers caring for an infant under 6 months.

This communications guide shares best practices for communicating about safe sleep practices with communities, with an emphasis on higher-risk Black/African American and Alaska Native/American Indian populations. It also shares tips on using the materials available in the Safe Sleep Toolkit.

Safe Sleep Communications: Best Practices for Partners

Things to do:

  • Provide life hacks. Parents and caregivers want tips and help, especially “real-world” advice from other parents that is realistic, practical and empathetic.

  • Tie in community identity. Black/African American and American Indian/Alaska Native caregivers responded to ads that felt specifically relevant to their cultural identities.

  • Help parents practice harm reduction.
    Recognize that much bed-sharing is incidental.

  • Use visuals for moms and caregivers who may not read English well.

  • Use inclusive language and visuals. Recognize that some at-risk parents may not have a partner. Grandparents may be primary caregivers in some situations.

Things to avoid:

  • Avoid using “should” messages. Parents and caregivers are turned off by messages that are prescriptive or overly instructive.

  • Avoid playing up or focusing on risk. Parents tend to lean on their own experience and those of people they know, along with their ability to conceptualize the realities of a risk, more than expert guidance. Sleep-related death, especially SIDS, is shrouded in scientific specifics and mystery, which makes it easy to ignore.

  • Don’t overlook equity. While it is important to engage at-risk populations, messaging must not “blaming” individuals for systemic inequities that contribute to these public health problems.

Methods for Reaching Priority Audiences                        

In-person events

SIDS prevention is a sensitive and intimidating topic. Consequently, caregivers want to lean on the advice of people that they trust and those who can be empathetic to their realities. In-person events provide the opportunity to engage caregivers in thoughtful conversations about safe sleep.

Toolkit Tip: The Safe Sleep Toolkit provides several handouts that can be printed with a standard office printer and distributed at events.
The handouts are designed to print two to a standard 8.5 x 11 page. Use a paper cutter to separate the two handouts per page.

Social media

Today, it is common for caregivers to seek out parenting content on social media. Much like in-person events, social media allows parents to engage with the select content creators who they trust and who they feel represent their parenting styles, aspirations or realities.

  • Focus on the right platforms. Currently, young caregivers are most active on Facebook and Instagram. Targeting Facebook also allows you to reach older audiences who may be playing caregiver roles. These trends will inevitably change over time, so it is best practice to research the current most used platforms for priority audiences before deciding where to share content.

  • Expand your reach. After sharing SIDS prevention content on your organization’s social channels, consider expanding your reach from there. You can invest a modest amount to run your content as a paid ad to reach beyond your current follower list.

Visit Safe Sleep & Social Media for sample posts and images

Local Radio

Historically, radio has been effective for reaching working populations (who listen while commuting) and certain populations of color (especially LatinX and African American populations who may tune into culturally-specific channels). Often, radio stations will provide 2 lower advertising rates for nonprofits, foundations and other cause-based community organizations. This comprehensive article outlines the basic steps involved in researching stations, producing an ad, and buying air time.