[Sleeping position and covering of infants in the fall of 1994]

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether the sleeping position and the use of duvets in infants in 1994 had changed in comparison with earlier years.

Design: Questionnaire survey.

Setting: Nationwide investigation in infant welfare centres.

Method: 194 infant welfare centres participated in the investigation. In November a questionnaire was completed regarding 25 preferably consecutive infants younger than 10 months, featuring: age in completed months, sex, parity of the mother, birth weight and subsequently: the position in which the infant was laid to sleep, and its cover during the last night.

Results: The prone sleeping position decreased roughly from more than 55% in 1985-1987 to 24% in 1988 and 9% in 1994. In these surveys prone sleeping was significantly associated with masculine gender, low birthweight and higher parity of the mother. These associations explain at least partly the increased risk of cot death in each of these three conditions. In the Netherlands in November 1994 duvets were still used (77%).

Conclusion: A further reduction of the cot death incidence (in 1993 0.30 per 1000 live births) may be expected from further implementation of preventive measures.