Post by blackcrowheart on Jan 22, 2006 18:48:18 GMT -5
NICHD Alerts Parents to Winter SIDS Risk and Updated AAP Recommendations
The number of infants who die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or
SIDS, increases in the cold winter months, according to the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of the
National Institutes of Health. During these colder months, parents often
place extra blankets or clothes on infants, hoping to provide them with
more warmth. In fact, the extra material may actually increase infants
risk for SIDS.
Parents and caregivers should be careful not to put too many layers of
sleep clothing or blankets on infants -- or to keep room temperatures
too warm -- because overheating increases the risk of SIDS, said Duane
Alexander, M.D., Director of the NICHD. Of course, parents and
caregivers should always place infants to sleep on their backs for naps
and at night.
For more than a decade, the NICHD has led the Back to Sleep campaign,
which recommends a number of ways to reduce the risk of SIDS. Unless
theres a medical reason not to, infants should be placed on their backs
to sleep, on a firm mattress with no blankets or fluffy bedding under or
over them. If a blanket is used, it should be placed no higher than the
babys chest and be tucked in under the crib mattress. The babys crib and
sleep area should be free of pillows and stuffed toys, and the
temperature should be kept at a level that feels comfortable for an
adult. Since the NICHD campaign began, the overall SIDS rate in the
United States has declined by more than 50 percent.
Despite the campaigns progress, SIDS is the leading cause of death in
infants between 1 month and 1 year of age and claims the lives of
approximately 2,500 infants each year. SIDS is the sudden unexplained
death of an infant in the first year of life. Most SIDS deaths happen
when babies are between two and four months of age. The causes of SIDS
are still unclear, but it is possible to reduce factors that increase
SIDS risk.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently issued updated
recommendations for reducing the risk of SIDS:
* Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep, for naps and at
night
* Place your baby on a firm sleep surface, such as on a safety-approved
crib mattress, covered by a fitted sheet
* Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of your babys sleep
area
* Do not allow smoking around your baby
* Keep your babys sleep area close to, but separate from, where you and
others sleep
* Consider offering a clean, dry pacifier when placing your baby on his
or her back to sleep
* Do not let your baby overheat during sleep
* Avoid products that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS
* Do not use home monitors to reduce the risk of SIDS
* Reduce the chance that flat spots will develop on your babys head by
providing Tummy Time when your baby is awake and someone is watching;
changing the direction that your baby lies in the crib; and avoiding too
much time in car seats, carriers, and bouncers
Although the rate of SIDS among African American infants has declined by
almost 50 percent since the Back to Sleep campaign began, it is still
higher than that of white infants. In fact, African American infants are
twice as likely to die of SIDS as are white infants. To help eliminate
the racial disparity in SIDS rates, the NICHD has forged partnerships
with several African American organizations. In 2003, Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority, Inc., the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Women in the
NAACP, and the NICHD held three SIDS Summits, which brought together
thousands of participants from across the country to learn more about
SIDS. Since the Summits, these partners have continued their work in
communities across the country. They met recently to discuss the updated
AAP recommendations and future campaign direction.
While we have made great progress in reducing the rate of SIDS for
African American infants by almost 50 percent, there is much work ahead,
said Yvonne Maddox, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the NICHD. The winter SIDS
alert is one way to remind parents and caregivers that we can reduce the
risk of SIDS by placing babies on their backs to sleep for naps and at
night.
The NICHD is also working within the American Indian community to help
reduce the racial disparity in SIDS rates. American Indian babies are
nearly three times as likely to die of SIDS as white babies. Research
has found that among the Northern Plains American Indian community,
overheating is one of the biggest risk factor for SIDS. The NICHD is
establishing partnerships with American Indian organizations to help
create and disseminate culturally appropriate SIDS risk reduction
materials.
After an extensive body of research showed that placing infants to sleep
on their backs reduces their risk of SIDS, the NICHD led a coalition of
organizations to launch the Back to Sleep campaign in 1994. Along with
the NICHD, the coalition consists of the AAP, the Health Resources and
Services Administration, the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality
Programs, and First Candle/SIDS Alliance.
The NICHD distributes a variety of free Back to Sleep education
materials for parents, caregivers, and health care providers, including
brochures, magnets, door hangers, and infant onesies. Most of the
materials are available in English and Spanish. To obtain these free
materials, other NICHD publications, as well as information about the
Institute, visit the NICHD Web site, www.nichd.nih.gov, or call the
NICHD Information Resource Center, 1-800-370-2943; e-mail
NICHDInformationResourceCenter@mail.nih.gov.
The NICHD is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the
biomedical research arm of the federal government. NIH is an agency of
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NICHD sponsors
research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and
family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical
rehabilitation. NICHD publications, as well as information about the
Institute, are available from the NICHD Web site,
www.nichd.nih.gov, or from the NICHD Clearinghouse,
1-800-370-2943; e-mail NICHDInformationResourceCenter@mail.nih.gov .
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal
agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational
medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures
for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov .
The number of infants who die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or
SIDS, increases in the cold winter months, according to the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of the
National Institutes of Health. During these colder months, parents often
place extra blankets or clothes on infants, hoping to provide them with
more warmth. In fact, the extra material may actually increase infants
risk for SIDS.
Parents and caregivers should be careful not to put too many layers of
sleep clothing or blankets on infants -- or to keep room temperatures
too warm -- because overheating increases the risk of SIDS, said Duane
Alexander, M.D., Director of the NICHD. Of course, parents and
caregivers should always place infants to sleep on their backs for naps
and at night.
For more than a decade, the NICHD has led the Back to Sleep campaign,
which recommends a number of ways to reduce the risk of SIDS. Unless
theres a medical reason not to, infants should be placed on their backs
to sleep, on a firm mattress with no blankets or fluffy bedding under or
over them. If a blanket is used, it should be placed no higher than the
babys chest and be tucked in under the crib mattress. The babys crib and
sleep area should be free of pillows and stuffed toys, and the
temperature should be kept at a level that feels comfortable for an
adult. Since the NICHD campaign began, the overall SIDS rate in the
United States has declined by more than 50 percent.
Despite the campaigns progress, SIDS is the leading cause of death in
infants between 1 month and 1 year of age and claims the lives of
approximately 2,500 infants each year. SIDS is the sudden unexplained
death of an infant in the first year of life. Most SIDS deaths happen
when babies are between two and four months of age. The causes of SIDS
are still unclear, but it is possible to reduce factors that increase
SIDS risk.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently issued updated
recommendations for reducing the risk of SIDS:
* Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep, for naps and at
night
* Place your baby on a firm sleep surface, such as on a safety-approved
crib mattress, covered by a fitted sheet
* Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of your babys sleep
area
* Do not allow smoking around your baby
* Keep your babys sleep area close to, but separate from, where you and
others sleep
* Consider offering a clean, dry pacifier when placing your baby on his
or her back to sleep
* Do not let your baby overheat during sleep
* Avoid products that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS
* Do not use home monitors to reduce the risk of SIDS
* Reduce the chance that flat spots will develop on your babys head by
providing Tummy Time when your baby is awake and someone is watching;
changing the direction that your baby lies in the crib; and avoiding too
much time in car seats, carriers, and bouncers
Although the rate of SIDS among African American infants has declined by
almost 50 percent since the Back to Sleep campaign began, it is still
higher than that of white infants. In fact, African American infants are
twice as likely to die of SIDS as are white infants. To help eliminate
the racial disparity in SIDS rates, the NICHD has forged partnerships
with several African American organizations. In 2003, Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority, Inc., the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Women in the
NAACP, and the NICHD held three SIDS Summits, which brought together
thousands of participants from across the country to learn more about
SIDS. Since the Summits, these partners have continued their work in
communities across the country. They met recently to discuss the updated
AAP recommendations and future campaign direction.
While we have made great progress in reducing the rate of SIDS for
African American infants by almost 50 percent, there is much work ahead,
said Yvonne Maddox, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the NICHD. The winter SIDS
alert is one way to remind parents and caregivers that we can reduce the
risk of SIDS by placing babies on their backs to sleep for naps and at
night.
The NICHD is also working within the American Indian community to help
reduce the racial disparity in SIDS rates. American Indian babies are
nearly three times as likely to die of SIDS as white babies. Research
has found that among the Northern Plains American Indian community,
overheating is one of the biggest risk factor for SIDS. The NICHD is
establishing partnerships with American Indian organizations to help
create and disseminate culturally appropriate SIDS risk reduction
materials.
After an extensive body of research showed that placing infants to sleep
on their backs reduces their risk of SIDS, the NICHD led a coalition of
organizations to launch the Back to Sleep campaign in 1994. Along with
the NICHD, the coalition consists of the AAP, the Health Resources and
Services Administration, the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality
Programs, and First Candle/SIDS Alliance.
The NICHD distributes a variety of free Back to Sleep education
materials for parents, caregivers, and health care providers, including
brochures, magnets, door hangers, and infant onesies. Most of the
materials are available in English and Spanish. To obtain these free
materials, other NICHD publications, as well as information about the
Institute, visit the NICHD Web site, www.nichd.nih.gov, or call the
NICHD Information Resource Center, 1-800-370-2943; e-mail
NICHDInformationResourceCenter@mail.nih.gov.
The NICHD is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the
biomedical research arm of the federal government. NIH is an agency of
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NICHD sponsors
research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and
family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical
rehabilitation. NICHD publications, as well as information about the
Institute, are available from the NICHD Web site,
www.nichd.nih.gov, or from the NICHD Clearinghouse,
1-800-370-2943; e-mail NICHDInformationResourceCenter@mail.nih.gov .
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal
agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational
medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures
for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov .