Maternal Knowledge and Unsafe Baby Sleep Position: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Southern Brazil

Abstract

Objective to evaluate women's knowledge about the best baby sleeping position and to identify factors associated with a greater probability of putting infants to sleep in an unsafe position, in Rio Grande, Southern Brazil. Method This is a cross-sectional population-based study that included all women who bore children in 2013 in this municipality. A single, standardized questionnaire was given within 48 h after delivery in the only two local maternity hospitals. The outcome was that women reported the lateral and the ventral decubitus as the best sleeping positions for babies. A Chi square test was used for proportions and Poisson regression was used with robust variance adjustment in the multivariate analysis. The prevalence ratio was the measure of effect used. Results We included 2624 women in this study. Of these, 82.1% (95% CI 80.6-83.6) stated that the baby should sleep in the lateral or ventral decubitus positions. 76.4% reported having acquired this knowledge from their mothers and 34.7% were willing to adopt the correct (supine) sleeping position for their child if recommended by doctors. The adjusted analysis showed that the lower the schooling of the mothers and the greater the number of people per bedroom and number of children, the greater the probability of women choosing an unsafe baby sleeping position. Conclusions for Practice This study showed that the percentage of women who are unaware of the correct baby sleeping position is very high, that doctors should be convinced to recommend the supine baby sleeping position, and that campaigns on this subject should also include grandparents as a priority intervention group.

Prevalence and associated factors of supine sleep position in 3-month-old infants: findings from the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort

“…However, a study conducted in another city in southern Brazil (Rio Grande) that investigated mothers’ intention to place infant in supine sleep position found that, in 2010, only 20% of mothers had this intention [21]. Another study conducted in the city of Rio Grande, but investigating maternal knowledge of infant sleep position found that, in 2013, 80.5% of mothers believed the best infant sleep position was sidelying [22].…”

Creating a safe sleep environment for babies: what are the practices performed by mothers?

“…Only one-third of the mothers preferred the supine sleeping position for their babies, and the lateral position was the most preferred. Studies conducted in different countries revealed that the ventral/ lateral position was preferred by 82.1% of the participants in Brazil, while the supine position/ lying on their back was preferred by 72.4% in The Netherlands, and 89% in Georgia [7,31,32]. Similar to these findings, 77.3% of the mothers preferred the supine sleep position in Colson et al's study [33].…”

Cuidados com o recém-nascido após alta hospitalar: orientações aos pais

“…Outro fator importante é esclarecer para a família a respeito do posicionamento adequado no momento do sono do recém-nascido. Nessa perspectiva, os profissionais de saúde têm o dever de orientar esses pais e familiares para o posicionamento de modo correto do RN, mantendo-o em decúbito lateral ou decúbito dorsal (Cesar et al, 2019).…”