Government cot death campaign had only 'limited impact'.
The government's campaign to reduce the number of cot deaths has had only a limited impact. Despite the number of cot deaths being halved in the first year of the health department's 'Back to Sleep' initiative, there is little evidence child care practice has changed, researchers from Cambridge University argue. The campaign, launched in December 1991, advised parents that babies should not sleep on their front, be exposed to cigarette smoke or be overheated. The researchers say the campaign has had no influence on parents' smoking habits or on the prevalence of breast feeding. Royal College of Nursing midwifery' adviser Vicki Nix said nurses should continue to put across key health promotion messages forcefully to ensure the momentum of the campaign was not lost. Encouraging breast feeding and advising the baby's family to stop smoking should particularly be promoted, she said.