Bed-Sharing in the First 8 Weeks of Life: An Australian Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatrics
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Emerging evidence links infant sleep practices, particularly bed-sharing, to sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI).
• A Victorian case series found 45.8% of sleep-related infant deaths involved bed-sharing, necessitating further investigation.
• Consistent, evidence-based recommendations for infant sleep remain a challenge for healthcare providers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the prevalence and circumstances of infant bed-sharing in Victoria, Australia.
• To examine associations between bed-sharing and SUDI risk and protective factors.
• To identify gaps in current safe infant sleep recommendations implementation.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 2745 mothers attending Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services in Victoria.
• Data collected included bed-sharing practices, family demographics, and SUDI risk/protective factors.
• Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine associations with bed-sharing.

Main Results:

• The prevalence of infant bed-sharing was 44.7%, with 21.5% of cases being intended.
• Bed-sharing was less likely in households with an annual income over $AUS104,000 (OR 0.72).
• Mothers who breastfed were more likely to bed-share (OR 1.71).

Conclusions:

• The prevalence of bed-sharing in Victoria aligns with previous Australian studies.
• Identified gaps exist in parental understanding and implementation of safe sleep recommendations regarding position, location, and environment.
• Findings underscore the need to refine infant safe sleeping policies and programs to address current bed-sharing practices.