BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Most sudden infant death cases happened in unsafe sleep environment, study finds

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

(NewsNation Now) — A study of sudden unexpected infant deaths, or SUID, from 2011-2017 found 72% occurred in an unsafe sleeping environment.

The study, published Tuesday in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, looked at more than 12,000 cases of SUID. The American Academy of Pediatrics says it’s the leading cause of death for infants between a month and a year old.

The study found that 75% of airway obstruction deaths were tied to soft bedding. Not all cases had a definitive cause of death.

SUID is an umbrella term for three types of infant deaths: sudden infant death syndrome, accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, and deaths from unknown causes. The CDC reports there are about 3,500 cases per year in all the categories combined.

The AAP recommends keeping infants on their back on firm mattresses in otherwise empty cribs. The children should not sleep on sofas, armchairs, or adult beds. They say breastfeeding also could reduce the risk of SUID.

A previous study found that infants placed on their stomachs had a nearly two-fold increased risk of dying from SUID.

Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi had the three worst SUID rates among states from 2014-2018. Alabama reports 178.3 SUID victims per live 100,000 births over that time.

“Further analysis of unexplained deaths, including continued improvements to death scene investigation and documentation, may generate hypotheses for physiologic and genetic research, advance our understanding of gaps in SUID investigation, and enhance our understanding of infants at highest risk,” the new study’s conclusion reads.

Health

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

66°F Sunny Feels like 66°
Wind
7 mph SW
Humidity
47%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
50°F Partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Wind
6 mph NNW
Precip
10%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waxing Gibbous