What Is SIDS?
Post Mortem Examination
SIDS Research
National Healthy People Objectives 2010
California SIDS Data
Infant deaths are a critical indicator of our health status and social well being. The National Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has defined specific measurements known as the Healthy People Objectives 2010 to determine if we are making progress in reducing the number of infant deaths and improving the health and wellness of women, infants, children and families.
In the United States, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death for infants from one month to one year of age. SIDS is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene and review of the clinical history of the family and infant. Most deaths occur between two to four months. SIDS can not be prevented and there is no way to predict when it will happen. Researchers now know that certain factors can be changed or controlled while a mother is pregnant and in the early months after the baby is born that can lower a baby's risk of dying of SIDS. Examples of ways to reduce SIDS are to place babies on their backs to sleep, avoid exposure to overheating and tobacco smoke.
The Back to Sleep campaign was started in the early 1990's to emphasize the message that infants should be placed on their back to sleep. Since parents and caregivers began following this recommendation, the number of SIDS deaths has decreased by over 50 percent. Although great progress has been made to lower the incidence of SIDS, the 2010 Healthy People Objective of no more than 0.25 SIDS deaths per 1000 live births, has not yet been met. Continued public awareness campaigns and educational outreach/intervention programs which promote safe sleep practices are essential if this goal is to be reached.
This section will provide you with current information about SIDS and its cause(s), historical and current research, statistical SIDS data for the United States and California, and linkages to review California's progress in meeting SIDS specific national Healthy People 2010 Objectives.
What is SIDS? is an online publication of the National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center that provides a clear and complete overview of SIDS and the professional's role in reducing the risk.
Post Mortem Examination Dr. Henry Krous, a renowned SIDS researcher and Director of Pathology at Children's Hospital, San Diego has more than thirty years of personal experience performing postmortem examinations and interacting with families suffering the loss of a loved one.
SIDS Research Dr. Thomas G. Keens, a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, and a leading SIDS researcher, offers a summary of current research and a comprehensive overview of SIDS.
- Current Research (pdf 846kb) is a synopsis of the current thinking about the causes and mechanisms of sudden infant death syndrome based on the 2006 SIDS International Conference.
- SIDS Overview (pdf 287kb) is a comprehensive SIDS overview written in 2002. This 29-page article includes a definition of SIDS, a discussion of research into possible causes for SIDS, known risk factors and risk reduction strategies, and information about families and grief.
National Healthy People Objectives 2010 established by the National Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) identify specific goals to improve the health and well being of women, infants, children and families and address current issues, trends, disparities and opportunities for these areas of focus.
California SIDS Data includes a fact sheet, and statistical data by race/ethnicity and county of residency compiled by the California Department of Public Health, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Division.
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