INFORMATION CAMPAIGN ABOUT CHILD-CARE PRA CTICES - MEASURE OF EFFECTSON SLEEPING POSITION AND SUDDEN-INFANT-DEATH-SYNDROME

Background : To define the prevalence of the child care practices ques tioned in the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), especially the pron e sleep position, before and after an information campaign. To evaluat e the effects of this action on the postneonatal mortality. Method : A population survey was conducted in four French departments among moth ers of infants born in March 1994 and March 1995 and aged 5 days and 2 .5 months. A specific information campaign was conducted among health personnel in October 1994. Results : After the information campaign, t he prevalence of prone sleeping dramatically decreased at both ages st udied : from 6.8 % to 1.1 % at 5 days and from 24.5 % to 7.2 % at 2.5 months. Duvets were used less a whereas the other practices (bed shari ng, using pillow, breast feeding, maternal smoking) did riot change. T he postneonatal SIDS rate significantly decreased, from 1.1 p. 1000 li ve births in 1994 to 0.7 in 1995, the mortality from others causes als o declined; the overall postneonatal mortality was 2.7 p. 1000 before the action and 2.1 p. 1000 after. Conclusion : The sleeping position w hich is the main factor questioned in SIDS was modified, and the postn eonatal mortality decreased The specific action conducted for the pres ent epidemiological research is probably not the only contributor in t hese positive results.