PREVENTIVE HEALTH OUTREACH/SERVICE/EDUCATION PROGRAMS MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH PROGRAM
SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME (SIDS)
The DHH-OPH Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Counseling and Risk Reduction Program is designed to increase public awareness on the topic of SIDS and to provide education to reduce the risk of SIDS deaths. The SIDS Program developed media messages aimed at encouraging parents of infants to place healthy babies on their backs for sleeping and promoting a safe sleep environment. Educational materials promoting the new revised 2005 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines regarding SIDS riskreduction have been developed and distributed to populations at risk. These materials include: flyers that provide basic SIDS information; a healthcare provider tip sheet to provide risk-reduction information for physicians and nurses; and posters that promote back sleeping. Grief counseling is made available to all families who have experienced the death of an infant due to SIDS. The SIDS risk-reduction community outreach and education initiative has continued; activities included the following: Developed new media to educate community on SIDS risk reduction. Provided professional education in-service training to birthing hospital staff, childcare providers, nurses, and other healthcare providers. Provided SIDS education through faith-based organizations. Distributed educational materials on SIDS risk-reduction to hospitals, physicians, childcare providers, and community groups statewide. Since the initiation of SIDS risk-reduction efforts, a baseline quantitative 10-minute telephone survey was conducted in 2002, with a follow-up survey in 2004, to measure awareness of SIDS and its risk factors. Data were gathered from a representative sample of Louisiana women (n=400) who were 18-29 years of age, had an annual household income of $29,000 or less, and resided in either urban and rural areas in the state. Data from this sample show that, from 2002 to 2004, there was an increase in the number of
Louisiana women who believe back sleeping is safest, and is best for infants, and who place infants to sleep on their backs. There was a decrease in the number of women who place soft bedding (i.e., pillows or comforters) in a baby’s sleeping area. The following are selected findings from the 2004 SIDS follow-up telephone survey:
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Back is Best Sleeping Position. Louisiana, 2002-2004
75 80 60 45 30 15 0 2002 Year 2004 20 0
Back is Safest Sleeping Position. Louisiana, 2002-2004
Percent
60 40
Percent
2002 Year
2004
Source: DHH OPH, SIDS Program
Source: DHH OPH, SIDS Program
Back Sleeping Position. Louisiana, 2002-2004 60
Percent
Babies Who Sleep With Soft Bedding. Louisiana, 2002-2004
Comforters
45 30 15
2004
Pillows
2002
0 2002
Year
2004
0 15 Percent 30 45
Source: DHH OPH, SIDS Program
Source: DHH OPH, SIDS Program
In addition to public and professional education and grief counseling, standard data are collected on each case with the hope of identifying preventable circumstances that are associated with unexpected deaths in infancy. Cases are assessed for SIDS risk factors, ethnic-racial trends, and geography-specific trends. A program to improve the investigation of unexpected infant deaths through the training and certification of death-scene investigators was begun in 1996. Over 275 investigators from coroner offices and law
enforcement have been trained in conducting death-scene investigations in cases of unexpected deaths in infants.
SIDS was the second leading cause of unexpected child death in Louisiana in 2004. That year, there were 66 deaths from SIDS in the state, equivalent to a death rate of 1.0 per 1,000 live births. Between 1990 and 1995, rates in Louisiana were roughly comparable to the national rates. From 1996 through 2004, the SIDS rate in Louisiana was higher than the national rate. However, over the past decade, the SIDS rate has decreased from 1.3 deaths per 1,000 births to 0.8 deaths per 1,000 births.
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Blacks were more likely to die from SIDS than whites in 2002 (29 deaths among blacks for a rate of 1.1 deaths per 1,000 live black births vs. 37 deaths among whites for a rate of 1.0 deaths per 1,000 live white births). For many years, there has been a disparity between SIDS rates by race, both at the national level and in Louisiana. However, the disparity between ethnic groups in Louisiana has decreased over the years from 2.5 in 1998 to 0.9 in 2004.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Rates by Race and Year, United States and Louisiana, 1994-2004
2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Year of Death US/WH US/BL LA/WH LA/BL
Rate per 1,000 Live Births
Rate per 1,000 Live Births
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Rates, United States and Louisiana, 1994-2004
1.6 1.4 1.2 1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Year of Death
US LA
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There has been a significant increase in infant back sleeping from 32% in 1997 to 46% in 2002 in Louisiana. Healthy People 2010 Goal is 70% of all babies sleep on their back, which indicate a need for further safe sleep education to parents and caregivers in Louisiana.
Infant Sleep Position, Louisiana Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitering System, 1997-2002 40 29 27 31 24 41 27 22 46 Stomach Side Back 1997 1998 1999 Year
Source: Louisiana Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System
Percent
50 40 30 20 10 0
34 34 32
33 34 33
31 34
35
2000
2001
2002
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