Child Development and Public Health

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has no personal meaning to me, as there has not been a death from SIDS in my immediate family or circle of friends. However, the birth of my granddaughter has sparked an interest, as my daughter has been struggling with best sleeping arraignments for fear of SIDS. The Mayo Clinic defines SIDS as,” …the unexplained death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy baby. For parents, it's a devastating and shocking childhood illness — there's no warning and there's no definitive cause” (Mayo Clinic, 2009). SIDS is the leading cause of death for infants in the first year of life, with 50 deaths per 100,000 births in the US, and remains a constant area of research. While current research has not identified the causes of SIDS, it has identified several possible risk factors in infants, as well as concluded that the health of the mother during pregnancy can also increase the risk for SIDS.
Risk factors
• Male
• Between 1 month and 6 months of age
• Premature or of low birth weight
• Black, American Indian or Native Alaskan
• Placed to sleep on their stomachs Cultural differences in child care practices — such as whether babies are placed to sleep on their backs — may be a factor.
• Born to mothers who smoke or use drugs
• Exposed to environmental tobacco smoke.
• Born during the fall or winter months
• Overheated
• Recently recovered from an upper respiratory infection
• Siblings of a baby who died of SIDS (Mayo Clinic, 2009)

Just as researchers have identified risk factors that increase the chances of SIDS, they have also identified several precautionary measures, to reduce risk.
• Put your baby to sleep on his or her back
• Be sure your baby is placed to sleep on his or her back when in the care of others
• Don't smoke
• Select bedding carefully
• Place your baby to sleep in a crib or bassinet — not in your bed
• Keep your baby nearby
• Consider breast-feeding. Offer a pacifier
• Moderate room temperature (Mayo Clinic, 2009)
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In researching SIDS in other countries, I was surprised to find that the number of SIDS death was much lower in southern Europe, Asia, Africa and Central and South America because co-sleeping is practiced. Co-sleeping takes on many forms from sharing a form sharing a bed with parents to sharing a family sleeping area. According to the article, Co-sleeping Around the World by James J. McKenna Ph.D, “Most cultures that routinely practice co-sleeping, in any form, have very rare instances of SIDS” (McKenna).
I found this information extremely interesting and valuable to my future work. Working with the military, we service a vast variety of cultures, as well as new parents. This information not only helped me to understand other cultural practices, but will help me in assisting new parents.

Mayo Clinic. (2009, June 13). Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Retrieved November 12, 2010, from MayoClinic.com: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sudden-infant-death-syndrome/DS00145

McKenna, J. J. (n.d.). Cosleeping Around The World. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from The Natural Child Project: http://www.naturalchild.org/james_mckenna/cosleeping_world.html

sleep-baby-sleep.com. (n.d.). SIDS Statistics. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from sleep-baby-sleep.com: http://www.sleep-baby-sleep.com/SIDS/statistics.htm