[Information campaign on child care practices: measure of the effects on sleep position and sudden infant death syndrome]

Abstract

Background: To define the prevalence of the child care practices questioned in the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), especially the prone sleep position, before and after an information campaign. To evaluate the effects of this action on the postneonatal mortality.

Method: A population survey was conducted in four French departments among mothers of infants born in March 1994 and March 1995 and aged 5 days and 2.5 months. A specific information campaign was conducted among health personnel in October 1994.

Results: After the information campaign, the prevalence of prone sleeping dramatically decreased at both ages studied: from 6.8% to 1.1% at 5 days and from 24.5% to 7.2% at 2.5 months. Duvets were used less whereas the other practices (bed sharing, using pillow, breastfeeding, maternal smoking) did not change. The postneonatal SIDS rate significantly decreased, from 1.1 p. 1000 live births in 1994 to 0.7 in 1995, the mortality from others causes also declined; the overall postneonatal mortality was 2.7 p. 1000 before the action and 2.1 p. 1000 after.

Conclusion: The sleeping position which is the main factor questioned in SIDS was modified, and the postneonatal mortality decreased. The specific action conducted for the present epidemiological research is probably not the only contributor in these positive results.