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Guiding Sleep: A Cross-National Comparison of Professional Advice to Parents for SIDS Prevention
Methods: We examined parenting information regarding safe sleep from public health websites in four countries to explore how countries identified modifiable factors associated with safe sleep. We performed a qualitative analysis of selected materials from the US, Canada, the UK, and Japan; these countries have differing incidence rates of SIDS and cultural norms surrounding sleeping practices.
Results: All countries promoted the supine sleeping position and either advised or implied for room-sharing. The US, Canada, and UKwarned parents about room-sharing with parents who smoke, while Japan did not have any recommendations concerning parental substance use. The United States, Canada, and UK all endorsed infant crib sleeping as the preferred arrangement. While the US and Canada had firm denunciations against bed-sharing, the UK offered recommendations for safe bed-sharing, as connected their all-encompassing goal of promoting nighttime breastfeeding. Japan, which has one of the lowest rate of SIDS in the world and a high prevalence of bed-sharing, did not address bed-sharing in its recommendations.
Conclusions: Official recommendations vary with regard to risk and protective factors. Content reflects dominant cultural practices and beliefs.
Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health educationPublic health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Learning Objectives:
Identify similarities and differences between countries in recommendations for modifiable behaviors associated with SIDS and SUID prevention. Compare differences in recommendations as being related to cultural attitudes and practices and be more aware of the complexities in these practices.
Keyword(s): Practice Guidelines, Maternal and Child Health
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a Masters of Public Health student studying safe sleep and health promotion messaging with my faculty mentors and co-authors. Our second author is a professor of nurse midwifery at University of Tokyo.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.