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Related sites National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners
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Focus on sudden infant death syndrome in blacks
Posted
11-8-99 Washington. In an effort to lessen the racial disparity in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is launching a program that targets the black community. The goal is to establish a community-based approach to decreasing the rate of SIDS among African American infants, according to the Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health. The new program is part of the successful "Back to Sleep" campaign designed to teach parents that infants should be placed on their backs for sleep, in accord with a 1992 recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). SIDS deaths in the United States have dropped substantially since the AAP recommendation and the Back to Sleep campaign, but rates remain much higher for black infants than for whites. In 1997, the SIDS rate for blacks was 2.4 times higher than for whites, at 153 cases per 100,000 live born infants. The incidence for whites was 64 per 100,000 live born infants. From 1992 to 1997 the percentage of babies sleeping on their stomachs dropped 49 percent overall-from 70 percent to 21 percent. However, 34 percent of black infants were still sleeping on their stomachs in 1997. "The education of parents [about SIDS] is so important and should really be emphasized, starting with the prenatal visits," said Delores Jones, EdD, PNP, RN, director of education for the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners Inc. "It shouldn't just be thrown at them at discharge, but ingrained from the beginning." While no single definitive cause for SIDS has been discovered, experts know that there is a higher incidence among infants who sleep on their stomachs. SIDS rates also increase during the winter months. Experts caution that infants should sleep on a firm mattress, without toys, blankets, or other soft items in the crib. Officials are still working out the details of the education program. "The program is a branch of the Back to Sleep campaign, but associated factors [in SIDS deaths] will also be addressed," said Andrea Furia, editor for the public information and communications branch of the Institute of Child Health and Human Development. According to Jones, other risk factors for SIDS include smoking, late prenatal care, single mothers, and lack of access to health care. "All of these factors tend to be higher in African American communities," she said.
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