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Unsafe sleep environment is major contributor to infant mortality
YOUNGSTOWN
Safe sleep for infants is one of the cornerstones of the Mahoning Valley’s campaign to improve its infant-mortality rate, which is among the worst in Ohio, a state which is next to worst in the nation.
Fifteen percent of infant mortality is sleep-related, said Dr. Elena Rossi, neonatologist and associate chairwoman of pediatrics at Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley.
The infant mortality rate is determined by the percentage of live births who die before their first birthday.
“One out of 7 infants who die in the first year of life is sleep-related,” Dr. Rossi said.
In 75 percent of the deaths, the infant was in an unsafe place such as a sofa or bed. In the majority of sleep-related deaths, the baby wasn’t alone, on its back in an empty crib as is recommended, she said.
“This is why education is so important. Parents need to know that they should stay close but sleep apart from their child,” Dr. Rossi said.
More than $38,000 in grants have been awarded to Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley to fund its Safe Sleep Program.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, every week three babies in Ohio die as a result of an unsafe sleep environment. In Mahoning County, approximately four babies die each year.
Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley is leading a comprehensive campaign to reduce the number of sleep-related infant deaths and the overall infant-mortality rates in Mahoning and Trumbull counties through a targeted education and community-awareness campaign, Dr. Rossi said.
The program also provides new parents with a safe sleep “going home” kit as a part of hospital discharge instructions. It include an insulated bag, HALO Sleep Sack, “Sleep Baby, Safe & Snug” board book, door hanger and educational materials/informational brochure.
Additional funding still is needed to fully implement the program and to continue to provide new parents with the kits. For information or to make a donation, call JoAnn Stock, director of development, at 330-746-9122.
The Mahoning County District Board of Health, through an Ohio Department of Health program, provides free Cribs For Kids Survival Kits to families who otherwise could not afford them.
The CFK Program distributes cribs and infant safe sleep education, and in order to receive a Cribs for Kids survival kit, income-eligible families must attend an educational class provided by trained local CFK partners staff. In this session, parents/caregivers receive important education on how to properly use the crib for their child, and they are instructed on infant safe sleep practices.
Income must be within Women Infant and Children guidelines, although recipients do not need to be enrolled in the WIC program.
For information about this program, call Marianne Evans, public health nurse at the county health board, at 330-270-2855, ext. 171.
In a related matter, October is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month, and The Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics is working to educate parents and caregivers about the risks associated with sudden infant death syndrome and how to keep infant children safe while sleeping.
The Ohio AAP, in partnership with the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund and the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, is working to implement a comprehensive, three-pronged safe-sleep campaign designed to raise awareness and provide education around the American Academy of Pediatrics’ updated safe sleep recommendations released in 2011.
One element of the campaign, the Education and Sleep Environment Project, helps model appropriate sleep environments for infants in a hospital setting.
Also, the Ohio AAP is running the Injury Prevention/Safe Sleep Learning Collaborative for primary-care offices in Ohio and nationwide, which has distributed more than 5,000 sleep sacks to promote safe sleep.
The final element of the Chapter’s safe-sleep efforts is a public-awareness campaign that educates parents and caregivers about the ABCs of Safe Sleep.
For information and materials on safe sleep and Ohio AAP’s Safe Sleep Initiatives, visit its website at www.ohioaap.org/safesleep.