| Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the sudden death of an infant less than 1 year of age, which remains unexplained after performance of a complete postmortem investigation, including an autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of case history. There is a 104% increase in SIDS cases during the periods of 2005--2007 and 2006--2008. African American SIDS rates have increased from 2 times the rate of White/non-Hispanic and Hispanic to almost 4 times the rate of White/non-Hispanic and Hispanic rate. In response to the alarming increase in African American SIDS rates and recommendations from research findings, a culturally specific project to provide safe sleep public health messages to Los Angeles County African American parents is highly recommended. The intent of the project is to reduce racial disparities in unsafe sleep practices and help ensure African American infants reach their first birthday. |
