FACTORS AFFECTING RECTAL TEMPERATURE IN INFANCY

The recordings of 1197 overnight rectal temperatures from infants of u p to 24 weeks of age have been analysed with respect to 12 variables, including a number of risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome. M ultivariable regression was used to identify if parental smoking, bott le feeding, sleeping position, and birth weight affect the overnight r ectal temperature of infants. The rectal temperature, averaged over th e period from three to five hours after the infants were put to bed, c orrelated well (R=0.36) with the collected variables. An increase in t he infant's age, birth weight, and the supine sleeping position all de creased the night time rectal temperatures. However, an increase in th e night time room temperature, weight, and the combination of bottle f eeding and parental smoking produced an increase in rectal temperature . The individual effects of bottle feeding and parental smoking were n ot significant. The results show that some of the major risk factors h ave the effect of raising the rectal temperature of sleeping infants.