STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate sleep practices regarding maternal, infant, and socioeconomic factors in an infant population and to propose a scoring scale associated with high versus low risk of sudden infant death syndrome. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, population-based study. SETTING: Passo Fundo, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: 2,285 newborns. INTERVENTIONS: Perinatal information was collected from the city health database, and a questionnaire regarding sleep practices was applied to the de facto mothers. The scale for classification of infant sleep practices in relation to high or low risk of sudden infant death syndrome was based on previous population studies. Cox regression, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were employed. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Application of the score allowed detection of high-risk sleep practices in 42.4% of infants. The following variables maintained association with high-risk sleep practices: 6 or fewer visits in the antenatal clinic (p < .001), maternal age < or = 20 years (p < .001), smoking during pregnancy (p = .041), disease during the first 2 months of life (p = .038), low birth weight (p = .049), and low socioeconomic status (p < .001); 90% of deceased infants and 75% of suspected sudden infant death syndrome cases were regularly exposed to high-risk sleep practices. CONCLUSIONS: High-risk sleep practices were widely observed in the study population. The significance of this study lies in the future application of this information via public health measures targeted at high-risk populations.
STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate sleep practices regarding maternal, infant, and socioeconomic factors in an infant population and to propose a scoring scale associated with high versus low risk of sudden infant death syndrome. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, population-based study. SETTING: Passo Fundo, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: 2,285 newborns. INTERVENTIONS: Perinatal information was collected from the city health database, and a questionnaire regarding sleep practices was applied to the de facto mothers. The scale for classification of infant sleep practices in relation to high or low risk of sudden infant death syndrome was based on previous population studies. Cox regression, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were employed. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Application of the score allowed detection of high-risk sleep practices in 42.4% of infants. The following variables maintained association with high-risk sleep practices: 6 or fewer visits in the antenatal clinic (p < .001), maternal age < or = 20 years (p < .001), smoking during pregnancy (p = .041), disease during the first 2 months of life (p = .038), low birth weight (p = .049), and low socioeconomic status (p < .001); 90% of deceased infants and 75% of suspected sudden infant death syndrome cases were regularly exposed to high-risk sleep practices. CONCLUSIONS: High-risk sleep practices were widely observed in the study population. The significance of this study lies in the future application of this information via public health measures targeted at high-risk populations.