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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
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Changes in sleep position during infancy: a prospective longitudinal assessment

S M Lesko1, M J Corwin, R M Vezina

  • 1Slone Epidemiology Unit, Boston University School of Medicine, Brookline, Mass 02146, USA. leskos@bu.edu

JAMA
|August 1, 1998
PubMed

Insights

Many infants switch to prone sleeping positions between 1 and 3 months of age. Risk factors include maternal race/ethnicity, younger maternal age, higher parity, and male infant sex, increasing sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) risk.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Prone sleeping in infants is a known risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
  • Understanding the prevalence and risk factors for prone sleeping is crucial for SIDS prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of infant prone sleeping during the first six months of life.
  • To identify maternal and infant characteristics associated with prone sleeping.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of 7796 mothers and their infants in Eastern Massachusetts and northwest Ohio.
  • Data collected on maternal and infant characteristics related to prone sleeping at 1 and 3 months of age.
  • Statistical analysis using odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to identify risk factors.

Main Results:

  • Prone sleeping increased from 18% at 1 month to 29% at 3 months.
  • At 1 month, prone sleeping was associated with non-Hispanic black or Hispanic race/ethnicity, younger maternal age, less education, and higher parity.
  • At 3 months, prone sleeping was associated with non-Hispanic black or Hispanic race/ethnicity, younger maternal age, higher parity, and male infant sex.

Conclusions:

  • A significant proportion of infants transition to prone sleeping between 1 and 3 months of age.
  • These findings highlight the need for continued education on safe infant sleep practices.
  • If these trends are national, many US infants are at increased risk for SIDS due to prone sleeping.
Abstract

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