Sleep practices and environment and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in Turkey

The aim of this study is to determine what mothers know about infant sleep practices and the environment.

Data were collected with a semistructured questionnaire. The research was conducted with 231 mothers who delivered an infant and who agreed to participate between September and December 2005.

It was determined that 70.6% (n = 163) of mothers would use a pillow with their sleeping infants, and 44.2% (n = 102) would cover their infants' faces. When infants were alone in a room, 96.5% of mothers would leave them in the supine position.

Public health interventions should alert women to the increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome associated with identifiable risk factors, and specific intervention campaigns for safe sleeping can be developed for Turkish families.