Infant bed sharing in Canada

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Public health guidance in Canada advises against infant bed sharing due to risks of injury and death.
• Proponents suggest potential physical and psychological benefits of bed sharing.
• Evidence indicates low risks when other risk factors are absent, yet prevalence data in Canada is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the prevalence of infant bed sharing in Canada.
• To identify the primary reasons Canadian parents engage in bed sharing.
• To examine factors associated with frequent bed sharing.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Canadian Community Health Survey data from 2015-2016.
• Analyzed data from women aged 15-55 who gave birth within the last five years.
• Employed multivariate analysis to identify factors independently associated with frequent bed sharing.

Main Results:

• Approximately 33% of women reported frequent infant bed sharing, while 27% bed shared occasionally.
• The most common reasons for bed sharing were breastfeeding (39%) and facilitating sleep for mother or infant (29%).
• Frequent bed sharing was significantly associated with maternal age group, marital status, geographic region, mother's region of birth, and breastfeeding.

Conclusions:

• Infant bed sharing is a relatively common practice in Canada.
• Parents primarily engage in bed sharing for practical reasons, such as breastfeeding and sleep.
• Findings provide essential baseline data to inform safe sleep policies and programs.