Race, Ethnicity, and SIDS.

Abstract

* Abbreviations: SIDS — : sudden infant death syndrome SUID — : sudden unexpected infant death In the United States, race and ethnicity predict different outcomes in known diseases. Race and ethnicity also predict different outcomes in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), categories of mortality that are arguably as yet undiscovered diseases. It is important to monitor disparities affecting the health of children and to understand the impact of interventions aimed at them. In this issue of Pediatrics , Parks et al1 make a significant contribution to our understanding of the racial and ethnic factors in SUID trends after the introduction of the Back to Sleep campaign. In “Racial and Ethnic Trends in Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths: United States, 1995–2013,” the authors examine whether all children have shared equally in the decreases in SIDS/SUID that are attributed to the Back to Sleep campaign. The relative ranking of SUID rates by race and ethnicity remained constant throughout the 1995–2013 study period. But the … Address correspondence to Richard D. Goldstein, MD, Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, D2008, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: richard_goldstein{at}dfci.harvard.edu