Study on social responses (encouraging public awareness) to sudden infant death syndrome: evaluation of SIDS prevention campaigns

The sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) prevention campaign promulgated by the SIDS Family Associations was initiated and directed to medical professionals in 1996 and to mothers in 1997. In mid-1998, the Ministry of Health and Welfare began to support this campaign. In parallel with these moves and with cooperation from the study group of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the SIDS Family Associations of Japan, a Japanese segment of the International Child Care Practices Survey (ICCPS) was conducted in two phases-from 1996 to 1997 and from 1998 to 1999 to observe the trends in risk factors for SIDS that may exist in the child rearing environment in Japan. Consequently, after the SIDS prevention campaign, the risk factors for SIDS, such as the practice of placing infants in a prone posture, smoking, and formula feeding, were reduced. Correspondingly, it was shown that the incidence of SIDS in Japan and in Kanagawa Prefecture where the survey was carried out considerably decreased (0.42-0.24 per 1000 live births). These data indicate that this prevention campaign has been effective. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.