Infant bed-sharing with their caregivers has increased amongst black and Hispanic families, researchers find.
A new study published in the JAMA Pediatrics asked 18,986 participants in countries associated with sudden infant death syndrome about their sleeping practices with their infants.
"We found that black infants, who are at highest risk of sudden infant death syndrome and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, share a bed most often. Compared with white infants, black infants are 3.5 times more likely to share a bed," the authors said in a news release.
Researchers interacted with participants through an annual telephone survey in the National Infant Sleep Position study for Yale University School of Medicine:
Of survey participants, 11.2 percent reported infant bed sharing as a usual practice; the proportion of infants bed sharing increased from 6.5 percent in 1993 to 13.5 percent in 2010. Bed sharing increased among black and Hispanic families throughout the study period. Bed sharing increased among white families in the first study period (1993 to 2000), but not more recently (2001 to 2010), according to the study results.
The percentage of black infants usually sharing a bed increased from 21.2 percent in 1993 to 38.7 percent in 2010; the increase for Hispanic infants was 12.5 percent in 1993 to 20.5 percent in 2010. White infants usually sharing a bed increased from 4.9 percent in 1993 to 9.1 percent in 2010, the study findings indicate.
"The factors associated with infant bed sharing may be useful in evaluating the impact of a broad intervention to change behavior," the study concludes.
Income was a factor for caregivers who participated in bed sharing with their infant. The study revealed households with less that $50,000 a year of income were more likely to sleep with their infants than those who make more.
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