Infant Sleep Practices and Knowledge of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome among Mothers of Infants Attending the Paediatric Clinics of a Tertiary Hospital in Sokoto, Nigeria

Background: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a sudden unexpected death of an infant, the cause of which remains unexplained after a thorough investigation. Supine sleep positioning recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics since 1992 has significantly reduced the incidence of the problem in developed countries. In developing countries like Nigeria, poor practice of recommended sleeping position has been documented.

Objective: To assess the knowledge of SIDS and infant sleep practices amongst mothers seen in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto.

Methods: This was a 4-month cross-sectional study from November 2015 to February 2016. Mother infant pairs seen in the paediatric follow up clinic and immunization clinic of the hospital were consecutively selected and the mothers were interviewed after giving informed consent. Demographic data and responses were entered into a questionnaire. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 20.

Results: Of the 396 mothers interviewed, 360 (91%) had antenatal care. Eighty-one percent of infants shared a bed with parents or siblings. Only 34 mothers (8.6%) were aware of the recommended position. Infant sleep position was lying on side in 198 (50%), no particular position in 92 (23.2%), supine in 80 (20.2%) and prone in 26 (6.6%) Only 132 mothers (33.2%) had heard of SIDS and 30 (7.6%) thought it was caused by suffocation while another 30 (7.6%) thought it was caused by aspiration.

Conclusion: There is paucity of knowledge of SIDS and recommended infant sleep practices amongst mothers in the study area. Focused health education on SIDS prevention is necessary.