Sleeping Habits that Increase Risk of SIDS

A new study has shown that stomach sleeping is prevalent among premature infants, even though this greatly increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Some doctors and parents apparently believe that the preferred method of putting babies to sleep on their backs does not apply in cases of premature birth or low-birth-weight babies. The study, led by Dr. Louis Vernacchio of Boston University (MA, USA), appeared in the March 2003 issue of Pediatrics.

A second study has found that infants accustomed to sleeping on their backs who are then placed to sleep on their stomachs or sides have double the risk for SIDS than infants always placed on their backs. In addition, the risk was increased if infants turned from their sides to their stomachs during sleep. While the reason is not clear, researchers think that the instability of the side position makes it more likely for babies who are placed to sleep in this position to roll over onto their stomachs.

"Parents and caregivers should place their babies on their backs every time they go to sleep. Consistency is the key,” said co-author Dr. Marian Willinger of the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which supported the research. The study, conducted by researchers at Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research (Oakland, CA, USA), appeared in the March 1, 2003, issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.





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Boston U.
Kaiser Permanente