Child Development and Public Health

Child Development and Public Health

I chose the public health topic of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) because it hits close to home for me.  My mother’s sister passed away from SIDS and I often wonder what might have caused it.  I plan on sharing the information that I learn about SIDS in my classroom with my families and co-workers.

 Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is one of the leading causes of death among infants one month through one year of age in the United States. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) defines SIDS as the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene and review of the clinical history. SIDS is a diagnosis of exclusion, assigned only once all known and possible causes of death have been ruled out.

SIDS claims the lives of almost 2,500 infants in the US each year - that's nearly 7 babies every day. Deaths usually occur unexpectedly and quickly to apparently healthy infants, usually during periods of sleep, but it is not caused by suffocation or choking. It occurs in families of all races and socioeconomic levels and is also not caused by child abuse or neglect. 

Reference

What is Sids? Retrieved from: http://www.cjsids.org/resource-center/what-is-sids-suid.html

Preventing SIDS

How to prevent SIDS: You can reduce the risk of SIDS significantly by doing the following:

Always put your infant to sleep on her back (make sure  all caregivers do so, too).

Use a firm mattress and tightly fitted sheets for baby crib and no comforters, fluffy blankets, or pillows.

 The AAP also strongly advises skipping the crib bumper pad (which can restrict your baby's breathing when she presses her nose or mouth against it), and you should pass on those wedges designed to keep an infant on her back or side, since their safety and effectiveness have not been proven.

Keep your baby from overheating — no hats, extra clothes, or woolly blankets while sleeping, and keep the room cool (68 to 72 degrees F).

Keep your baby's room well ventilated. A recent study found that using a fan in an infant's room that has poor ventilation could reduce the risk of SIDS.

Never allow anyone to smoke near your baby.

Reference

Facts on SIDS –What to Expect.  Retrieved from: http://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/sids.aspx#

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Africa and Asian Cultures

In many African and Asian cultures, it is normal practice for the infant to sleep close to the mother in the same bed (co-sleeping). While unintentional suffocation or overlaying of the infant by the mother or another person does occasionally occur, this is generally on an unsuitable sleeping environment such as a sofa. Often the adult is obese, or alcohol or drugs are involved. Infants may also occasionally be strangulated by the bars of a cot or by cords in clothing or bedding. However, suffocation of the infant has been repeatedly rejected as a major cause of SIDS.

SIDS rates are actually lowest in Asian communities where co-sleeping is the norm. Parental sleep contact provides constant stimulation to the infant through vocalizations, body movements, radiant heat, and respiratory sounds. In fact infants who share the parents’ bed exhibit synchronous arousal and co-ordination of sleep stages with the parent. Some researchers therefore consider that parent-infant contact throughout the night may help some vulnerable infants to override the deficits that result in SIDS.

Reference

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Health 24, (2012). Retrieved from:

http://www.health24.com/Medical/Diseases/Sudden-Infant-Death-Syndrome-SIDS-20120721