"Don't shake the baby": the effectiveness of a prevention program.

The suggestion has been made that a systematic approach to informing all parents of newborns about the dangers of shaking a baby is needed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an educational campaign about the dangers of shaking a baby could influence parental knowledge, and would be perceived as helpful by new parents. A total of 15,708 parents of newborns in one urban county received a "Don't Shake the Baby" packet over a one year period. Moms ranged in age from 14 to 44 years, and 90% were white. A response postcard in the educational packet was returned by 3,293 parents (21%). More than three-fourths of respondents said the information was helpful to them, and 49% indicated that subsequent to reading the materials, they were less likely to shake their babies. Ninety-one percent said they thought other parents of newborns should read the material.