Soft cot mattresses and the sudden infant death syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether soft cot mattresses are a risk factor for the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).


METHODS
A follow up postal questionnaire was sent to the subjects who were interviewed 3.8 years (range 2.2 to 5.2 years) previously as part of the New Zealand Cot Death Study, a large nationwide case-control study.


RESULTS
105 European SIDS cases were compared with 828 European controls. Soft cot mattresses were associated with an increased risk of SIDS (adjusted OR = 2.36; 95% CI = 1.06, 5,25) compared with average or hard mattresses. The firmness of the mattress did not interact with the sleeping position of infant.


CONCLUSIONS
Soft cot mattresses should be avoided.
Mitchell
E A
EA
University of Auckland School of Medicine.
Scragg
L
L
Clements
M
M
D001513:Beds; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012307:Risk Factors; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires