Where should my baby sleep: a qualitative study of African American infant sleep location decisions.

Background: African American infants are of higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation than other infants and are up to 4 times more likely to bedshare with their parents.

Objective: To investigate, using qualitative methods, factors influencing African American parents' decisions regarding infant sleep location (room location and sleep surface).

Methods: Eighty-three mothers participated in focus groups or individual interviews.

Factors influencing African American mothers' decisions about sleep position: a qualitative study.

Background: African American infants continue to be at more than twice the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than Caucasian Americans. In addition, African Americans are twice as likely to place their infants prone for sleep.

Objective: To investigate, using qualitative methods, factors influencing African American parents' decisions regarding infant sleep position.

Qualitative analysis of beliefs and perceptions about sudden infant death syndrome in African-American mothers: implications for safe sleep recommendations.

Objective: To investigate, by using qualitative methods, perceptions about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in African-American parents and how these influence decisions.

Study Design: Eighty-three mothers participated in focus groups or individual interviews. Interviews probed reasons for decisions about infant sleep environment and influences affecting these decisions.

Spatial accessibility to providers and vaccination compliance among children with medicaid.

Objective: We examined the relationship between spatial accessibility to pediatric immunization providers and vaccination compliance in a low-income, urban population of children.

Methods: In 2007, we accessed the Washington, DC, Immunization Information System (IIS) to collect data on the immunization statuses and residential addresses of children who were aged 19 to 35 months and had Medicaid insurance. In addition, we calculated each child's spatial accessibility to pediatric vaccination providers by assessing the provider-to-population ratio at each residential address.

Infant sleep environments depicted in magazines targeted to women of childbearing age.

Objective: The goal was to evaluate pictures in magazines widely read by women of childbearing age, for adherence to American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines for safe infant sleep practices.

Methods: Magazines were included in this study if they had an average female readership of >5 million, circulation of >900000, and median age of female readers of 20 to 40 years. Twenty magazines met these criteria.

Reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in child care and changing provider practices: lessons learned from a demonstration project.

Objective: The goal was to evaluate, through an American Academy of Pediatrics demonstration project, the effectiveness of a curriculum and train-the-trainer model in changing child care providers' behaviors regarding safe infant sleep practices.

Methods: Participating licensed child care centers and family child care homes were assigned randomly to intervention and control groups. Observers performed an initial unannounced visit to each site, to watch infants being placed for sleep, to inventory sleep policies, and to administer questionnaires to center staff members.

Infant sleep location: associated maternal and infant characteristics with sudden infant death syndrome prevention recommendations.

Objective: To identify factors associated with infant sleep location.

Study Design: Demographic information and infant care practices were assessed for 708 mothers of infants ages 0 to 8 months at Women, Infants and Children centers. Generalized linear latent mixed models were constructed for the outcome, sleeping arrangement last night (room-sharing without bed-sharing versus bed-sharing, and room-sharing without bed-sharing versus sleeping in separate rooms).

Sudden infant death syndrome.

Despite declines in prevalence during the past two decades, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) continues to be the leading cause of death for infants aged between 1 month and 1 year in developed countries. Behavioural risk factors identified in epidemiological studies include prone and side positions for infant sleep, smoke exposure, soft bedding and sleep surfaces, and overheating. Evidence also suggests that pacifier use at sleep time and room sharing without bed sharing are associated with decreased risk of SIDS.

Physician recommendations regarding SIDS risk reduction: a national survey of pediatricians and family physicians.

Background: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a leading cause of death among infants. Recently, new SIDS risk factors have emerged.

Objective: To determine knowledge and recommendations of pediatricians and family physicians regarding SIDS-relevant practices.

A cross-cultural pediatric residency program merger.

Academic health centers, health systems, and, to a lesser degree, medical schools and residency programs have merged, consolidated, or formed strategic alliances. There are few published reports of residency program mergers, and only one involving a merger between a historically black college and university (HBCU) and a predominantly white institution.This case study describes a merger between two dissimilar urban pediatric residency programs.

State child care regulations regarding infant sleep environment since the Healthy Child Care America-Back to Sleep campaign.

Background: Despite overall decreases in sudden infant death syndrome deaths and prone sleeping, the proportion of sudden infant death syndrome deaths that occurs in child care settings has remained constant at approximately 20%. In 2003, the American Academy of Pediatrics' Healthy Child Care America program launched its own Back to Sleep campaign to promote the Back to Sleep message for those who care for young children.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the first 2 years of the Healthy Child Care America-Back to Sleep campaign in improving child care regulations by assessing the inclusion of the elements of a safe sleep environment in the individual state regulations for child care centers and family child care homes.

Stable prevalence but changing risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome in child care settings in 2001.

Objective: A total of 20% of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) cases in the 1990s occurred in child care settings. This is much higher than the 8% expected from Census Bureau data. Factors that were associated with child care SIDS included older age; white race; older, more educated mothers; and unaccustomed prone position.