Many parents are not following safe sleep procedures for infants, according to research conducted at Yale University. The study, presented at the recent Pediatric Academic Societies meeting, surveyed data on nearly 400,000 infants, finding that as many as half aren't put to sleep on their backs although it is a method proven to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
"Although the precise cause of SIDS is still unknown, we do know that safe sleep practices, such as sleeping on the back, reduces the risk of infant death in the first year of life," said lead author Sunah Hwang. "The Back-to-Sleep campaign reduced the rate of SIDS by 50 percent in the 1990s. Since 2001, this rate has remained stagnant."
Furthermore, 19 percent of mothers report sharing a bed with their baby - practice shown to make infants more than three times likely to die from SIDS. Bed sharing was most prevalent among Hispanic mothers (28%), then black mothers (18%), and lowest among white mothers (14%).
SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants between 1 month and 1 year of age, according to the CDC.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Health News
April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.