VCU study reveals alarming rise in Sudden Unexpected Infant Death
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Research from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Children's Hospital of Richmond (CHoR) shows that infant mortality rates have declined, but Sudden Unexpected Infant Death has been on the rise. According to VCU, the nation's infant mortality rate decreased by 24.2% between the years of 1999 and 2022. Researchers from VCU and CHoR found an improvement in Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics study that was published on Jan. 27. VCU said the study discovered that SUID rates increased significantly by 11.8% from 2020 to 2022. “Although a prior CDC study – using data until 2020 – found that Sudden Unexpected Infant Death was increasing for Black infants, this new study – adding data from 2021 and 2022 – found that the rise is more generalized and occurred in infants overall,” said Elizabeth Wolf, M.D., associate professor in VCU School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU and lead author on the study. What causes a rise in SUID risks? “In social media posts, infants can be seen in unsafe sleep positions, for example on their stomach instead of on their back, and in unsafe sleep environments such as adult beds, couches and baby swings,” said Steven Woolf, M.D., director emeritus of VCU Center on Society and Health and professor in VCU School of Medicine's Department of Family Medicine. According to VCU, other factors that could contribute to this disparity could include unsafe sleeping positions, prematurity, tobacco exposure and infant feeding. For more information on this study, click here.
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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Research from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Children's Hospital of Richmond (CHoR) shows that infant mortality rates have declined, but Sudden Unexpected Infant Death has been on the rise.
According to VCU, the nation's infant mortality rate decreased by 24.2% between the years of 1999 and 2022.
Researchers from VCU and CHoR found an improvement in Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics study that was published on Jan. 27. VCU said the study discovered that SUID rates increased significantly by 11.8% from 2020 to 2022.
“Although a prior CDC study – using data until 2020 – found that Sudden Unexpected Infant Death was increasing for Black infants, this new study – adding data from 2021 and 2022 – found that the rise is more generalized and occurred in infants overall,” said Elizabeth Wolf, M.D., associate professor in VCU School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU and lead author on the study.
What causes a rise in SUID risks?
“In social media posts, infants can be seen in unsafe sleep positions, for example on their stomach instead of on their back, and in unsafe sleep environments such as adult beds, couches and baby swings,” said Steven Woolf, M.D., director emeritus of VCU Center on Society and Health and professor in VCU School of Medicine's Department of Family Medicine.
According to VCU, other factors that could contribute to this disparity could include unsafe sleeping positions, prematurity, tobacco exposure and infant feeding.
For more information on this study, click here.
