In this review, we examine the slow decline in the US infant mortality rate by evaluating disparate racial and ethnic improvements in sudden unexpected infant death/sudden infant death syndrome rates.
Recent FindingsThe US infant mortality rate continues to be higher in minority groups. Limited data associates specific genetic variations with increased risk of SIDS in African Americans. Public health campaigns to reduce SIDS risks have focused on vulnerable groups and used messaging that can be perceived as guilt/blame based. Qualitative studies have found that many Black mothers view SUIDS/SIDS as a random, unpreventable event. Consequently, cultural beliefs and traditions may override healthcare advice for safe infant sleeping. Analysis of SIDS rates in other countries shows that some behaviors considered SIDS risks are common in countries with low SIDS rates. Studies show that social forces perpetuating racial inequity contribute to disparate racial/ethnic improvements in mortality rates.
SummaryApproaching healthcare campaigns for safe infant sleeping from a culturally sensitive perspective may improve individual risks, but large impacts on infant mortality and SUID/SIDS rates will require changes that decrease racial inequities in the US society.
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Department of Pediatrics – Pulmonary, Allergy/Immunology, Cystic Fibrosis, and Sleep Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
Roberta Leu & Kelli-Lee Harford
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
Roberta Leu, Nikhila Raol & Kelli-Lee Harford
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
Nikhila Raol
Correspondence to Roberta Leu.
Ethics declarations Conflict of InterestRoberta Leu, Nikhila Raol, and Kelli-Lee Harford do not have any conflicts of interest to disclose.
Additional information Publisher’s NoteSpringer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Sleep and Health Disparities
About this article Cite this articleLeu, R., Raol, N. & Harford, KL. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Rates in the USA: a Complex Problem Mired in a Deeply Entangled Web. Curr Sleep Medicine Rep 6, 232–238 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40675-020-00191-x
Accepted: 27 October 2020
Published: 25 November 2020
Issue Date: December 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40675-020-00191-x
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