Special Week on Epidemiology and Health Services 2024
References
- 20 Years of Trans Visibility in Brazil – Towards a More Diverse and Accessible Unified Health System
- Self-assessment of health in Manaus reveals inequalities and food insecurity.
- Multimorbidity and use of health services among Brazilians
- Perineal laceration occurs in almost half of postpartum women in Brazil.
- What is known about the prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)?
- Vaccination against Covid-19 reduces the risk of death, especially after booster doses.
- Correlations between internet searches for hookah and the prevalence of use among young people in Brazil.
Thaynã Ramos Flores, Associate Editor of Epidemiology and Health Services: Journal of the SUS (RESS), Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas/RS, Brazil.
There is a scarcity of data on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in the literature, particularly population-based information regarding the effectiveness of prenatal guidance for pregnant women aimed at preventing the syndrome. Although prenatal care coverage has increased worldwide, SIDS is the third leading cause of infant death. Therefore, it is important to assess postpartum women’s knowledge regarding its prevention.
In this sense, the study “Knowledge about the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome among postpartum women in Southern Brazil, 2019: a cross-sectional study” , by Souto et al. (2024), recently published in the journal Epidemiology and Health Services: SUS Journal , sought to evaluate the knowledge about SIDS prevention among postpartum women with prenatal care provided in public and private services in the municipality of Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 2019. The data reported in the article identified that most (67.7%) of the postpartum women were unaware of the preventive role of SIDS and that only 1.9% reported having been informed about SIDS during prenatal care.
Image: Freepik .
Most postpartum women, especially those attended in the public healthcare system, were unaware of the position that prevents SIDS, highlighting that information about the problem is rarely addressed during prenatal care. Mothers reported that doctors/nurses (70.5%) and grandparents (65.1%) influenced the decision about the baby’s sleeping position. The majority of postpartum women (77.8%) feared choking/drowning of the baby.
The findings of this study highlight the importance of campaigns promoting recommendations on the correct sleeping position for babies, particularly for the prevention of SIDS. These guidelines should include pregnant women and grandmothers, and could even be noted and highlighted in the pregnant woman’s and child’s health records. Regarding healthcare services, professionals should be encouraged to provide guidance during prenatal consultations, as these recommendations are free of charge and have a high impact on SIDS prevention.
SILVA, BGC, et al. Prevalence and associated factors of supine sleep position in 3-month-old infants: findings from the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort. BMC Pediatrics [online]. 2019, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 165 [viewed 10 April 2024]. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-019-1534-3 . Available from: https://bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-019-1534-3
AITKEN, ME, et al. Grandmothers’ beliefs and practices in infant safe sleep. Matern Child Health J. [online]. 2016, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 1464-71 [viewed 10 April 2024]. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-016-1945-9 . Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-016-1945-9