Safe Sleep Advice to Safe Sleep Action: Pilot of the Pepi-pod Program in Indigenous communities

Background: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies are three times more likely to die suddenly and unexpectedly than non-Indigenous infants1. Sharing sleep surfaces is the cultural norm in Indigenous communities,2 however deaths are associated with hazardous co-sleeping environments3. Valued cultural practices need recognition in order to make public health messages effective4. Research Aim: To trial a culturally appropriate adaptation of the Pēpi-pod Program in Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to determine acceptability and feasibility. Methods: An exploratory descriptive design was used to report parent experiences of using the Pēpi-pod Program to support safe infant sleep (n=300). The Pēpi-pod Program comprises: 1) Safe Space: a polypropylene box transformed into an infant bed through addition of appropriate bedding; 2) Safe Care: Parent education; 3) Family commitment to spread what safe sleeping messages to their social network. The Program was delivered at 6 sites across Queensland (metropolitan to rural/remote). Eligible participants were informed and consenting parent/s of babies (target recruitment