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P50 Sensory Gating in Infants
Published on: December 26, 2013
Sudden infant death and sleep practices in the Black community
Deborah Stiffler1, Brook Ayres2, Cheyenne Fauvergue2
1Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Insights
Black mothers face higher infant mortality risks due to unsafe sleep practices. Cultural beliefs, convenience, and perceived safety influence decisions, highlighting the need for culturally sensitive education on safe sleep for infants.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Infant mortality disproportionately affects Black infants, with rates significantly higher than White infants.
- Safe infant sleep recommendations, such as back sleeping, have reduced sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) rates.
- However, Black families often practice bed sharing, prone sleeping, and use inappropriate sleep surfaces, increasing SUID/SIDS risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reasons why Black women are less likely to adhere to safe infant sleep recommendations compared to White women.
- To understand the cultural factors influencing infant sleep practices in the Black community.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases (Web of Science, OVID, CINAHL, PsychINFO, PubMed).
- Search terms included infant, child, death, SIDS, SUID, qualitative, African American, Black, culture, safe sleep, and experiences.
- A meta-synthesis of seven selected qualitative studies was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute's Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument.
Main Results:
- Seventeen subthemes were identified, coalescing into three primary themes: convenience, safety, and culture.
- The overarching synthesized theme indicated that Black mothers' decisions regarding infant sleep are primarily motivated by their beliefs.
- Black mothers often perceive SUID/SIDS as random and unpreventable, leading to a preference for co-sleeping in comfortable environments over solitary crib sleeping.
Conclusions:
- Culturally sensitive approaches are essential when educating Black mothers about safe infant sleep practices.
- Healthcare providers, particularly nurses, should collaborate with Black mothers to understand their beliefs and concerns.
- Addressing cultural beliefs and perceived notions of safety is crucial for improving adherence to safe sleep guidelines and reducing infant mortality in the Black community.
Purpose:
A Black infant dies every 13 hours in the state of Indiana. The overall infant mortality rate in 2013 was 7.2 deaths per 1000 live births, but for Black infants, the rate was 15.3 deaths per 1000 live births. For over 20 years, placing an infant to sleep on his back has decreased the death rate from sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), but many Black families continue to advocate bed sharing, prone sleeping, and inappropriate bedding/sleep surfaces, predisposing an infant to a significantly higher risk for SUID/SIDS. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to understand why Black women are less likely than White women to follow safe sleep recommendations for their infants.
Design:
A rigorous search of the literature was performed by searching the Web of Science, OVID, CINAHL, PsychINFO, and PubMed using the search terms: infant or child, death, loss, SIDS, SUID, qualitative, African American, Black, culture, safe sleep, experiences, and United States. A total of 217 articles were obtained. After review of inclusion and exclusion criteria and critical appraisal, only seven articles remained for the research study.
Methods:
The meta-synthesis of these seven original qualitative studies was performed using the Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument from the Joanna Briggs Institute to assist with data management. Data were extracted and representative quotations were categorized. Categories were arranged into like themes. Themes were then synthesized with meta-aggregation.
Results:
A total of 17 subthemes were identified and were formulated into three primary themes: convenience, safety, and culture. The final synthesized theme was that Black mothers are motivated by their beliefs.
Practice Implications:
Black mothers tend to believe that SUIDS/SIDS is a random occurrence and is not preventable, so they see a little reason to make their infant sleep in a cold, hard crib, when they could sleep in a warm, comfortable bed with them. Nurses should work with Black mothers to understand their cultural beliefs while educating them about safe sleep practices.
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