Knowledge and applications of mother's with a 0-12 months baby to create a safe sleep environment

The safe sleeping environment is provided by arranging the baby's sleeping environment to eliminate the risk factors. The safe sleeping environment is extremely important to protect the baby from adverse situations such as strangulation during sleep and sudden infant death syndrome. This study was conducted descriptively and cross-sectionally in order to evaluate the knowledge and practices of mothers with 0-12 months baby to create a safe sleeping environment. Before starting the study, the permission of the institution and the ethics committee were obtained and the purpose of the study was explained to the mothers and an informed consent form was signed. The study was conducted between February and September 2017 in Family Health Centers (ASM) in Yozgat city center. The sample of the study consisted of 455 mothers who applied to FHCs and accepted to participate in the study on the specified dates. Before starting the study, the permission of the institution and the ethics committee were obtained, the purpose of the study was explained to the mothers and an informed consent form was signed. The data were collected by using the descriptive characteristics data form that questioned the sociodemographic characteristics of the family and the infant developed by the researchers in the light of the literature review and the questionnaire form which evaluates the knowledge and practices of the mothers to create a safe sleep environment. Descriptive statistical analysis and Chi square test were used for the evaluation of the data. It was determined that approximately half of the mothers included in the study were in the 26-35 age group, one third was primary school graduates and two thirds were housewives. Half of the mothers had one child and 39.6% were smokers. It was found that 56.0% of the mothers included in the study reported that the safest sleeping position for preterm babies and 58.4% for term babies was the lateral position. It was determined that almost all mothers had never experienced SIDS and 87.7% did not know the relationship between sleep position and SIDS. It was found that 86.1% of the participants did not know about the sleeping position suitable to protect the baby from SIDS. In the study, it was determined that almost all mothers shared room with their baby and bed sharing was seen with a low rate of 6.8%. It was found that the mothers had risky applications such as laying the baby in side and face position, sharing bed, using soft objects such as pillows in sleeping environment, covering the face of the baby and having toys in the crib. In this study, it was found that soft bed preference rate was higher in families with poor and moderate socioeconomic status (p<0.05). The percentage of face-covering was found to be highest in the secondary school group and lowest in the university group (p<0.05). In our study, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference between the position of the baby and the family structure of the baby, and the rate of preference for side-lying position for the baby was found to be higher than the extended family and broken families (p<0.05). According to the study findings, it was determined that mothers had information deficiencies and risky practices about creating a safe sleep environment, and this situation was related to low socioeconomic level and education level. It is important for pediatric nurses to identify and identify risk factors in creating a safe sleep environment and to provide counseling to families. In this respect, it may be recommended to provide support and education to families in order to eliminate the lack of information and to prevent risky practices in creating a safe sleeping environment. Keywords: Mother, knowledge, safe sleep, practice, nurse.