Infant sleep position: associated maternal and infant factors.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the maternal and infant characteristics associated with the back sleep position for infants to guide efforts to increase its use and reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey of 3349 mothers delivering in California, February-May 1999.


RESULTS
Fifty-two percent of infants were placed in the back sleep position. Factors associated with a lower likelihood of using the back position included all levels of maternal education less than college (eg, for education eighth grade or less--adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.86); income at or below federal poverty level (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.47-0.90); multiparity (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67-0.95); race/ethnicity African American (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.37-0.65) and Asian/Pacific Islander (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.48-0.89); speaking a non-English language (OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.55, 0.86); and infant age over 7 months (OR, 0.70, 95% CI, 0.52-0.96). Women in Los Angeles (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.42-0.77) and urban areas other than San Diego (OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.53-0.92) were less likely to use the back position than those in San Francisco.


CONCLUSIONS
Greater efforts are needed to promote the back sleep position among families with mothers who lack education beyond some college; live in poverty; and who are African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, multiparous, or non-English speaking.
Chung
Esther K
EK
Division of General Pediatrics, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif, USA. echung@nemours.org
Hung
Yun-Yi
YY
Marchi
Kristen
K
Chavez
Gilberto F
GF
Braveman
Paula
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D002140:California; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011187:Posture; D044469:Racial Groups; D012307:Risk Factors; D012890:Sleep; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control