Abstract
Introduction: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is characterized as the sudden unexpected death of a healthy infant below the age of 12 months with an unknown cause even after careful death scene assessment. The aim of this study is to estimate the percentage of proper sleep practices among infants and assess the knowledge and awareness of SIDS and its associated risk factors among Saudi and non-Saudi mothers.Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The data were collected using an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire that consisted of 36 items that were divided into demographic data of the parents and child, observations of the child’s sleep practice, and knowledge and awareness of SIDS and its associated risk factors.Results: A total of 667 participants completed the questionnaire. The mean age of the mothers was 31.44 + 7.55. As for the nationality, 527 (79%) were Saudi and 140 (21%) were non-Saudi. The majority had bachelors’ degrees 407 (61%). Sleep practices assessment demonstrated that 391 (58.6%) of infants were sleeping in the supine position. A total of 329 (49.3%) participants reported hearing about SIDS from social media and websites as being the major source of information. SIDS acknowledgment was higher in non-Saudi mothers compared to Saudis.Conclusion: The results provide informative descriptive data on childcare practices in Saudi Arabia. Considerable variation was noted and the results from this study are intended to have a better understanding of the prevalence of childcare practices and knowledge of SIDS risk factors in Saudi and non-Saudi mothers.
Highlights
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is characterized as the sudden unexpected death of a healthy infant below the age of 12 months with an unknown cause even after careful death scene assessment
A study that was done in Al-Qatif, Saudi Arabia in 1995 showed that SIDS comprised 6.2% of the infants who died between the age of one and 12 months [12]
The majority of our participating mothers reported that media platforms were the main source of information from where they heard about SIDS, which was found to be similar to other previous studies done in France and Turkey [2,13]
Summary
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is characterized as the sudden unexpected death of a healthy infant below the age of 12 months with an unknown cause even after careful death scene assessment. SIDS has been long been believed to be multifactorial in origin, with the triple-risk hypothesis proposed by Filiano and Kinney in 1994 being the most widely accepted model This model proposes that SIDS occurs when three overlapping factors intersect: (I) a vulnerable infant; (II) a critical developmental period for homeostatic control, and (III) an exogenous stressor [8]. Recognized epidemiological investigations have concurred that a baby’s sleeping position (prone and side), bed-sharing (the most important risk factor in infants younger than four months), soft bedding (e.g., blankets and pillows), unsafe sleep surfaces (e.g., sofas), maternal smoking, and prematurity are the most significant risk factors associated with SIDS [7,9]. In Saudi Arabia, studies on SIDS are limited due to the lack of permission grants for post-mortem examination. A study that was done in Al-Qatif, Saudi Arabia in 1995 showed that SIDS comprised 6.2% of the infants who died between the age of one and 12 months [12]
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