That was my first thought when I read the article too.
The statement "an average of 64 young children die
each year while sleeping in bed with their parents or
other adults" had me asking a few questions: How many
children die while not sleeping in bed with their
parents? And 64 out of how many?
Judie Gibel
> Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 19:44:35 -0500
> From: Denny Rice <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Babies never die in cribs I suppose
>
> More U.S. Infants Share Beds With Parents
>
> January 13, 2003 03:39 PM EST
>
>
> CHICAGO (AP) _ More infants in the United States are
> sleeping in their
> parents' beds _ a practice that can be deadly for
> babies.
The percentage of infants who usually slept in a bed
with an adult more than doubled from 5.5 percent to
12.8 percent between 1993 and 2000, according to a
study led by Marian Willinger of the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
The practice is strongly influenced by cultural
factors
The study found black infants were four times as
likely as white babies to share an adult's bed, and
Asian babies were almost three times as likely.
Infants whose mothers were under 18 were more likely
to bed-share; the practice was also more common in
poor households.
"They may not have a crib or bassinet for the baby, so
the only place the baby can sleep is in the bed," said
Dr. Angelita Covington, an Atlanta pediatrician. Some
parents, she said, may take their babies into their
beds because it is a practice passed down through
generations.
Covington, who works in a community health center that
sees mostly poor people, said she discourages bed
sharing.
The study, which appears in the January issue of
Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, warns
that babies can fall out of bed and get hurt, or can
suffocate when an adult rolls over or the child
becomes trapped between the mattress and the bed
frame. Other research suggests bed-sharing can raise
the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
According to a 1999 study by the Consumer Product
Safety Commission, an average of 64 young children die
each year while sleeping in bed with their parents or
other adults.
Some have suggested bed-sharing has benefits, such as
promoting breast-feeding.
In this study, researchers from the National
Institutes of Health concluded there needs to be more
study on the benefits or hazards.
The study was based on a telephone survey of a
nationally representative group of 8,453 people.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 19:17:15 -0600
From: Michelle <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: CPSC "study" a great example of bad science
Unlike the purported children who sleep in adult beds,
this "study" just will not DIE.
I think as professionals, when asked by parents about
this issue we need to clarify that this particular
study is very flawed. Children die from lack of
supervision, not from the actual act of sleeping in an
adult bed. I do not recommend to parents that they do
or don't sleep in a bed with their babies - I just
tell them there are a number of schools of thought on
this and encourage them to read the current literature
and then make the decision that works best for them.
I spoke to the woman (Sued Nakamura) who performed
this compilation of slanted and flawed information
soon after it was first published - I had her on the
phone for over 20 minutes in fact. I pointed out how
flawed this study was and why. She point blank said
they will stand by it no matter what. I told her also
that whether or not they received any reparation from
the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Assc or not was
not at issue - it was the appearance of reparation.
She kept emphatically denying they had gotten anything
from the JPMA. She failed to define statistical terms
for me. She could not see the difference between
anecdotal information gleaned from death certificates
and statistical information which is compiled using
accepted, reproducible and verifiable methodology.
All we can do as far as the media is concerned is
point them to verifiable and reliable sources of
information (Like Dr. McKenna) and continue to point
out how studies like this are swallowed whole by the
media everyday with very little thought about the
consequences!
BTW - I have used this study to show a couple of high
school science classes what happens when researchers
use unethical, unproven, and unprofessional
methodologies. Even these high school kids "get it" -
why can't Sued Nakamura and her superiors?
How does this relate to breastfeeding? As well as co
sleeping affecting the course of breastfeeding, this
"study" underscores that we cannot rely on anecdotal
information lest we end up like the folks at the CPSC
- no longer taken seriously in any professional
community.
Michelle Meeks, RN
__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com
***********************************************
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|
