Prevalence and the Relationship between Characteristics and Parental Conditions with Risk Factors for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Introduction  Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a disease which causes unexpected death of infants aged less than 1 year. Given the undeniable role of parents in the presence or absence of SIDS risk factors, the present study aimed to studythe prevalence and the relationship between characteristics and conditions of parent’s infants with SIDS risk factors. Materials and Methods  In this crosssectional descriptiveanalytic study, 1,021 infants aged 1 to 12 months in the health centers in QomIran in 2014 were selected as the sle by stratified random sling method. The required data were collected using an authormade questionnaire on SIDS risk factors. The obtained data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS 18 at a significance level of 95%. Results 4.5% of mothers were younger than 20 years, 92.3% infants had a cosleeping with their parents, and 35.7% of infants had a bedsharing with their parents. 19% of infants used Soft pillow. Study findings showed that there is no significant relationship between the age of mothers and using a shared bedroom (P>0.05), while such a relationship exists between education backgrounds of parents and sharing a bedroom (P<0.05). Conclusion The results showed that socioeconomic and educational status of parents play a significant role in the development of SIDS risk factors. Therefore, the incidence of such factors can be reduced through improving parental awareness and education.