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Sudden unexpected infant death in Jordan and the home environment
Author(s) -
Hamadneh Shereen,
Kassab Manal,
Hamadneh Jehan,
Amarin Zouhair
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1111/ped.13016
Subject(s) - medicine , infant mortality , environmental health , sudden infant death syndrome , incidence (geometry) , pediatrics , descriptive statistics , demography , population , physics , sociology , optics , statistics , mathematics
Background The aim of this study was to evaluate maternal common practice for infant sleep care and the home environment, in order to explore the major risk factors associated with sudden unexpected infant death in Jordan. Methods Data were collected via semi‐structured questionnaire interview to investigate the sociodemographic features, infant sleep practices and home environments. The sample included 604 mothers with infants <1 year old. Descriptive statistics were generated. Results Sleep practices were identified as leading factors in unexpected infant death. They included infant head covering (84%), heavy bedding with multiple quilts (81%) or blankets (67%), and co‐bedding (66%). Environmental risk factors included high incidence of smoking, exposure to toxic solid fuel heaters during winter and inadequate room ventilation. Conclusion Factors leading to unexpected infant death were high in Jordan. Unsafe infant sleeping practices and poor environmental factors put infants at high risk of sudden death. Lack of awareness of risk factors increases the risk.