Ethnic differences in infant care practices and in the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome in Birmingham

Abstract

Certain infant care practices have consistently been shown to play an important role in the aetiology of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In the UK, the incidence of SIDS amongst Asians is less than half that of whites. We conducted a questionnaire-based survey of 374 multiparous mothers from a multiracial community in Birmingham. We found that the majority of Asian infants slept in the parental bedroom at night, 94% compared to 61% of whites, whilst 33% of white infants slept alone compared to 4% of Asians. Three times as many white mothers as Asians placed infants prone (31% vs. 11%). We, therefore, observed marked differences in the infant care practices of Asians compared to whites in the UK, which may partly account for the low incidence of SIDS amongst infants of Asian origin.