This article compares different sampling methods and sample sizes for content analyzing news on an online news aggregator. Consistent with previous research focusing on traditional media, constructed week sampling is more efficient than simple random sampling or consecutive day sampling. However, while a single constructed week allows reliable estimates of content in a population of six months of newspaper editions, at least two constructed weeks, and as many as five constructed weeks, are needed to accurately represent online news content gathered during the same period, depending on the type of variables being analyzed.
The social marketing approach recognizes the need to tailor message and channel strategies to effectively reach the full range of individuals who must act or exert influence to bring about knowledge, belief, and behavior change. However, repurposing health education materials for additional target audiences and communication channels may at times be rationalized as a necessary response to budgetary constraints. Furthermore, when the materials in question are the outcome of rigorous testing, the experts involved may be reluctant to accept the need for tailoring those materials. This study demonstrates how a rigorously designed and tested shaken baby syndrome prevention program comprising a 10-minute DVD and an 11-page brochure delivered in-hospital to parents of newborns by specially trained health care workers was adapted for a media campaign targeting additional audiences and channels. Focus group research determined which messages and images from The Period of PURPLE Crying DVD and brochure were most salient. Participants were surprised to learn about the normalcy of prolonged infant crying, embraced the PURPLE label, and were keen to share this new knowledge. The volume and quality of advice new parents receive emerged as important. Two campaign concepts, including key messages and visuals, were tested using focus groups and intercept interviews. The normalcy of infant crying as a developmental stage rather than an indication of caregiver incompetence or an unhealthy child resonated with respondents and was adopted for the campaign. This approach underscores the value of tailoring and message testing to provide evidence-based guidance for media campaign decisions.
As the predominant cause of infant head injury that often results in death or long-term disability, Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is both a criminal act and a public health concern. This article reports the findings of a qualitative content analysis of SBS-related news coverage from 1996 to 2007, exploring how broadcast and print news media categorize, frame, and source stories about SBS. This study reveals that while the legitimacy of SBS is widely acknowledged by child abuse experts in the United States, news reports typically frame SBS as a questionable diagnosis, the perpetrators as monsters, and the act of abuse unpreventable. Further, thematic health coverage appeared least frequently of all story types, reflecting a criminal justice rather than public health approach to reporting about SBS. These findings have several implications for crafting the media campaign strategy for The Period of PURPLE Crying: Keeping Babies Safe in North Carolina.
Each year infants die or are permanently disabled at the hands of their caregivers by abusive head trauma, more commonly known as Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS). Current medical research confirms the central role of infant crying in triggering shaking by caregivers; anecdotally, inconsolable crying is the most common explanation given by abusers. Although SBS prevention efforts have been initiated, most remain unevaluated. This article provides an overview of a 5-year, evidence-based SBS-prevention program called The Period of PURPLE Crying: Keeping Babies Safe in North Carolina from a social marketing perspective. The project includes three components: (1) in-hospital education for parents of every newborn at all 86 hospitals/birthing centers in North Carolina; (2) reinforcement in community settings such as prenatal visits to health departments or well-child care visits to primary care providers; and (3) a media campaign.
