Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Sids and African Americans

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“Forty-nine percent of all infants who died while bed sharing were found on their backs or sides compared with 20.4 percent infants who were not bed sharing”. Both African-Americans and non-African-Americans need to be aware of the health risk involved in the SIDS syndrome.

The prevention of SIDS is possible but parents have to be proactive in studying up on information related to SIDS and knowing how to correctly place their babies during sleep. This precautions are necessary to avoid any unexpected situation that could result in the death of their infant. This understanding should be embraced long before the baby is born.

Twelve Safety Tips to a Safe Sleep at Night for your Baby

• “Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep, for naps and at night. The back sleep position is the safest and every sleep time counts.

• Place your baby on a firm sleep surface, such as on a safety-approved crib mattress, covered by a fitted sheet. Never place your baby to sleep on pillows, quilts, sheepskin or other soft surfaces.

• Keep soft objects, toys and loose bedding out of your baby’s sleep area.

• Do not allow smoking around the baby. Do not smoke before or after the birth of your baby and do not let others smoke around your baby.

• Keep the baby’s sleep area close to but separate from where you and other sleep. Your baby should not sleep in a bed, on a couch or in an armchair with adults or other children. He or she can sleep in the same room as you. If you bring the baby into bed to breastfeed, put him or her back in a separate sleep area such as a bassinet, crib, cradle or bedside co sleeper/infant bed that attaches to an adult bed when finished.

• Think about using a clean, dry pacifier when placing the infant down to sleep but do not force the baby to take it. If you are breast-feeding your baby, wait until your child is one month old or is used to breastfeeding before using or pacifier.

• Do not let your baby overheat during sleep. Dress your baby in light sleep clothing and keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for an adult.

• Avoid products that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS because not all have been tested for effectiveness or safety.

• Do not use home monitors to reduce the risk of SIDS because they have not been tested for effectiveness or safety.

• Avoid products that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS they have not been tested for effectiveness or safety.

• Reduce the chance that flat spots will develop on your baby’s head, provide “tummy time” when your baby is awake and someone is watching, change the direction that your baby lies in the crib from one week to the next, and avoid too much time in car seats, carries and bouncers.” (Willinger, 1991)

There is great consensus of the positive outcomes connected to infant sleeping position when placed on their backs. IN the past health providers though allowing parents to place their infants on their stomach was a wiser approach but after extensive research it has been found that it is safer for parents to place their babies on their backs. There has not been any kind of irregularities reported with babies who sleep on their backs, and ever since the recommendation by the AAP in 1994 that brought about this awareness of placing babies on their backs, the incident rate of SIDS has dropped over 40%. The Back to Sleep campaign has achieved a great level of success since it was introduced, however the deaths of infants because SIDS have been more recently connected to bed sharing situations, where there is entrapments or wedging of the infant. This could involve face and head being covered by bedding, comforters, pillows etc.

Recommendations by the AAP and NICHD to promote a safe sleep environment for infants advise:

• “that infants should not be put to sleep on waterbeds, sofas, soft mattresses or other soft surfaces,

• as an alternative to bedsharing, parents should consider placing the infant’s crib near their bed,

• parents should never bedshare if they smoke or use medications or drugs that impair arousal from sleep.”

There are several organizations coming together to make positive contributions to the plight of parents in the African American community as it relates to SIDS. The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is one such organization. They have partnered with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Together they have partnered up with women of the NAACP and the Nation Coalition of 100 Black Women in partnership called Partnership for Reducing the Risk of SIDS in African-American Communities. All these efforts is aimed at creating awareness on how to prevent SIDS. “We are coming together to change a historical pattern of the SIDS rate among African-American infants, which is twice that of white infants,” said Linda M. White, National President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. “We have made great progress over that last decade of cutting the SIDS rate for African-American infants by almost 50 percent. However, we need an even greater effort. We are committed to sharing the good news about how to reduce the risk of SIDS in our communities. AKA and the NICHD have been working hard to keep preventing more and more African-American babies from dying.” (AKA, 2006).

SIDS rate for white babies was 45.6 per 100,000, while the rate for African-American babies was 113.5 per 100,000. (Brandenburg).

“SIDS occurs more often in boys than girls (approximately a 60 to 40 percent male to female ration).” The SIDS Death Rate on a Race Chart is as follows:

Currently, The American SIDS institute is sponsoring and organizing several research projects that can help shed light on SIDS and methodologies for its treatment and prevention. There has been several successful research that has shed light on SIDS and how to properly prevent and treat the syndrome.

Reference

Brandenburg, Mark A., Child Safe : A Practical Guide for Preventing Childhood Injuries

Corr, C.A., Fuller, H., Barnickol, C.A., and Corr, D.M. (Eds).Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Who Can Help and How. New York: Springer Publishing Co., 1991.

Goyco, P.G., and Beckerman, R.C. "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome."Current Problems in Pediatrics