Black Families Worst Affected Due To Rise In Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths, Says Study

A new study found a spike in the number of sudden or unexpected deaths among Black infants during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The jump in the sudden deaths of Black infants was observed as the overall infant mortality dropped to a record low, according to the study, which analyzed the figures for infant deaths in 2020.

Thousands of babies pass away unexpectedly each year, and their deaths are classified as sudden unexpected infant deaths or SUIDs. The broad classification of SUID includes SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, and other unknown causes, according to CNN.

Figures show roughly 1 out of every 6 infant deaths were termed SUIDs. Out of the total number of SUIDs in 2020, 41% was attributed to SIDS. Furthermore, 27% of the infant deaths were attributed to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, while 31% were classified as deaths from unknown causes.

The study pointed out that the SUID rate for White babies in the year 2020 dropped to the lowest it has ever been since 2017. However, the SUID rate for Black babies in 2020 was the highest since 2017.

As per the study, the SUID rates typically remained consistent amongst different racial and ethnic groups, but the figures for 2020 showed some unexpected changes.

The infant mortality rate for American Indians has remained the highest among racial groups over the years. However, the rate among Black infants overtook the rate for American Indian infants in 2020.

"We would typically – ideally – look at five years of data in order to see any sort of trend emerging. So, these are very preliminary findings. But this is something that we're going to have to continue monitoring," Sharyn Parks Brown, an epidemiologist with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Reproductive Health and co-author of the study, was quoted saying.

The findings of the study suggest that racial disparities persist in society and may even be growing, especially because the pandemic affected certain communities differently.

The chances of Black families living in poverty are more than double as compared to White families, according to commentators of the study, NBC News reported.

" ... Among families with children, homelessness is 50% more likely among those who identify as non-Hispanic Black," the authors exclaimed.

"If you don't have a safe place for your baby to sleep, how are you going to have them sleep safely?" said Dr. Rebecca Carlin, a pediatrician affiliated with Columbia University in New York and co-author of the commentary published alongside the study.

In addition to this, the rate of smoking and preterm births reported to be higher among Black communities. These factors also affect the risk of sudden death among infants.

The socioeconomic disparities among different communities "not only result in limited access to health care and education, but also in many families not having a stable, safe place for their infants to sleep," the co-authors wrote.

One way to help lower the rate of unexpected infant deaths is by ensuring safe sleep practices.

Unsafe sleep practices — placing the baby on their stomach or in the parent's bed instead of a crib, and placing blankets or stuffed animals in the crib — can increase the risk of sudden infant deaths.

"Almost all SUID deaths have at least one unsafe sleep risk factor. More than 95% of them," Dr. Carlin added.

Breastfeeding, avoiding exposure to smoke, and avoiding the use of weighted blankets or swaddles near the sleeping infant are among factors that could reduce sudden infant deaths, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.