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Shaken Baby Syndrome
Arturo Vega, Ph.D.
Interim Director
Q1: SHKNBABY -- Have you ever heard of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)?
N: 596. Missing: 40 (Includes: don't know, no answer, refused, dk/na, hungup)
| Category | Freq. | % | Cum.% |
| 428 | 71.8 | 71.8 | |
| 2) No | 168 | 28.2 | 100.0 |
Seventy-two percent of the respondents have heard about SBS.
Q2: WHENHEAR --
When did you first hear about Shaken Baby Syndrome?
(ASKED ONLY OF THOSE RESPONDENTS WHO ANSWERED "YES" TO Q1).
N: 417 Missing: 219
| Category | Freq. | % | Cum.% |
| 1) lastyr | 93 | 22.3 | 22.3 |
| 2) fouryr | 135 | 32.4 | 24.7 |
| 3) morefour | 189 | 45.3 | 100.0 |
Over one-fifth of the respondents first heard about SBS over the last year. Fifty-five percent of all respondents first heard about SBS over the last four years.
Q3: HOWHEAR --
How did you hear about Shaken Baby Syndrome?
(ASK ONLY OF THOSE RESPONDENTS WHO ANSWERED "YES" TO PREVIOUS
Q1).
N: 420 Missing: 216
| Category | Freq. | % | Cum.% |
| 1) Family | 31 | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| 2) TV | 249 | 59.3 | 66.7 |
| 3) Dr. | 25 | 6.0 | 72.6 |
| 4) School | 26 | 6.2 | 78.8 |
| 5) Newspaper | 56 | 13.3 | 92.1 | 6) Brochure | 13 | 3.1 | 95.2 | 7) Meeting | 20 | 4.8 | 100.0 |
Seventy-two percent of the respondents heard about SBS through watching television (66.7%; most frequently cited) or through reading about SBS in the newspaper (13.3 %, second most frequently cited).
MILDSHKE -- Did you know that even mildly shaking a baby
can cause permanent damage to the baby?
N: 587 Missing: 49
| Category | Freq. | % | Cum.% |
| 1) Yes | 506 | 86.2 | 86.2 |
| 2) No | 81 | 13.8 | 100.0 |
Fourteen percent of the respondents did not know that "even mildly shaking a baby" can lead to SBS.
NOTA BENE: Comparing responses of the first and fourth questions reveals that people are less familiar with SBS, as a name, and more knowledgeable about the dangers of permanently damaging a baby by even "mildly shaking" an infant.
SELECTED CROSSTABULATIONS
(Bexar County Respondents and Bexar County Westside Oversample)
SHKNBABY by County
| Bexar-General | Bexar-West | Total | |
| Yes | 347 | 81 | 428 |
| 74.8% | 61.4% | 71.8% | |
| No | 117 | 51 | 168 |
| 25.2% | 38.6% | 28.2% | |
| TOTAL | 464 | 132 | 596 | 100.00% | 100.0% |
Row Variable: SHKNBABY Column Variable: County
Prob. = 0.000 V; 0.124
Westside Bexar County residents are less knowledgeable about SBS than
Bexar County residents in general.
MILDSHKE by County
(Bexar County Respondents and Bexar County Westside Oversample)
SHKNBABY by County
| Bexar-General | Bexar-West | Total | |
| Yes | 403 | 103 | 506 |
| 88.4% | 78.6% | 86.2% | |
| No | 53 | 28 | 81 |
| 11.6% | 21.4% | 13.8% | |
| TOTAL | 456 | 131 | 587 | 100.00% | 100.0% |
Row Variable: MILDSHKE Column Variable: County
Prob. = 0.000 V: 0.118
Westside Bexar County respondents lag behind their Bexar County residents
in general.
SELECTED CROSSTABULATIONS
(Bexar County Respondents ONLY)
SHKNBABY by RACETH
| Non-White | White | Total | |
| Yes | 209 | 212 | 421 |
| 63.1% | 84.5% | 72.3% | |
| No | 122 | 39 | 161 |
| 36.9% | 15.5% | 27.7% | |
| TOTAL | 331 | 251 | 582 | 100.00% | 100.0% |
Row Variable: SHKBABY Column Variable:
RACETH Prob. = 0.000) V: 0.223
Bexar County ethnic minorities lag behind their non-ethnic minority counterparts
in their knowledge of SBS.
MILDSHKE by RACETH
| Non-White | White | Total | |
| Yes | 270 | 226 | 496 |
| 82.8% | 90.8% | 86.3% | |
| No | 56 | 23 | 79 |
| 17.2% | 9.2% | 13.7% | |
| TOTAL | 326 | 249 | 575 | 100.00% | 100.0% |
Row Variable: MILDSHKE Column Variable: RACETH Prob. =
0.006) V: 0.114
The difference between Bexar County ethnic minorities and non-ethnic minorities
is smaller in reference to "mildly shaking" a baby and SBS.
SHKNBABY by AGEGRP
| 18-35 | 36-50 | 51-65 | 66+ | TOTAL | |
| Yes | 118 | 128 | 97 | 71 | 414 |
| 65.6% | 75.7% | 82.2% | 68.9% | 72.6% | |
| No | 62 | 41 | 21 | 32 | 156 |
| 34.4% | 24.3% | 17.8% | 31.1% | 27.4% | |
| TOTAL | 180 | 169 | 118 | 103 | 570 | 100.00% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Row Variable: SHKNBABY Column Variable: AGE Prob. = 0.009
V: 0.142
Over one-third of the 18-35 year old respondents were the not knowledgeable
about SBS; thirty percent of the over 66 age category expressed "no" knowledge
about SBS; nearly one-quarter of the 36-50 year olds expressed similar
results.
MLDSHKE by AGEGRP
| 18-35 | 36-50 | 51-65 | 66+ | TOTAL | |
| Yes | 151 | 144 | 106 | 87 | 488 |
| 85.3% | 85.7% | 90.6% | 85.3% | 86.5% | |
| No | 26 | 24 | 11 | 15 | 76 |
| 14.7% | 14.3% | 9.4% | 14.7% | 13.5% | |
| TOTAL | 177 | 168 | 117 | 102 | 564 | 100.00% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Row Variable: MILDSHKE Column Variable: AGE Prob. = 0.549
V: 0.061
Nota Bene: Comparing responses for SHKNBABY and MILDSHKE with age suggests
that respondents across age categories were less knowledgeable about SBS,
as a name, and more knowledgeable of the dangers of permanently damaging
a baby by even "mildly shaking."
*This survey included a sample of the general population of Bexar and Surrounding Counties, Texas, with an oversample of residents from the westside of San Antonio, Texas. Total Respondents =636; standard error=+/-3.9. The survey was conducted May 15-24, 2000.
