Incidence and determinants of sudden infant death syndrome: a population-based study on 37 million births

The objective of our study is to measure the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), estimate the birth to death interval, and identify associated maternal and infant risk factors.

We carried out a population-based cohort study on 37 418 280 births using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Linked Birth-Infant Death" and "Fetal Death" data files from 1995 to 2004. Descriptive statistics and cox-proportional hazard models were used to estimate the adjusted effect of maternal and newborn characteristics on the risk of SIDS.

There were 24 101 cases of SIDS identified for an overall 10-year incidence of 6.4 cases per 10 000 births. Over the study period, the incidence decreased from 8.1 to 5.6 per 10 000 and appeared to be most common among infants aged 2-4 months. Risk factors included maternal age <20 years, black, non-Hispanic race, smoking, increasing parity, inadequate prenatal care, prematurity and growth restriction.

While the incidence of SIDS in the US has declined, it currently remains the leading cause of post-neonatal mortality, highlighting an important public health priority. Educational campaigns should be targeted towards mothers at increased risk in order to raise their awareness of modifiable risk factors for SIDS such as maternal smoking and inadequate prenatal care.