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International Child Care Practices Study: infant sleeping environment

E A Nelson1, B J Taylor, A Jenik

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 6/F Clinical Science Building, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China. tony-nelson@cuhk.edu.hk

Early Human Development
|March 14, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Infant care practices like bedsharing and room sharing vary globally. Lower awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) was linked to higher bedsharing rates, but typical practices remain unclear cross-culturally.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Sociology

Background:

  • The International Child Care Practices Study (ICCPS) gathered data from 21 centers in 17 countries.
  • Focus on infant sleeping environments, specifically sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) risk and protective factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe infant sleeping environments across diverse cultures.
  • To investigate SIDS risk factors (bedsharing, pillow use) and protective factors (room sharing).
  • To explore the relationship between SIDS awareness and infant care practices.

Main Methods:

  • Standardized protocol involving parental surveys at birth (interview) and 3 months (postal questionnaire).
  • Centers grouped by geographic location.
  • Assessed community SIDS awareness levels and campaign presence.

Main Results:

  • High variability in bedsharing (2-88%) and pillow use (4-95%).
  • Bedsharing more common in areas with lower SIDS awareness and often for longer durations.
  • Room sharing rates varied (58-100%), with lower rates in areas of higher SIDS awareness.

Conclusions:

  • Cross-cultural differences in bedsharing methods exist, preventing a "typical" practice definition.
  • Findings suggest caution when developing SIDS prevention campaigns for non-Western cultures.
  • Highlights diverse child care patterns and the need for culturally sensitive SIDS risk communication.
Abstract

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