Sudden unexpected infant deaths surged among Black babies in 2020 - CNN

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, said the research team reanalyzed the data a couple of times to be sure they were interpreting the findings correctly.

In a commentary responding to the research, physicians said that the high rates of sudden unexpected infant deaths in the United States – and growing disparities – “reflect our societal failures.”

Socioeconomic disparities “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,” they wrote.

These unsafe sleep practices become risk factors because they decrease how easy it is for infants to arouse when they need to, typically every couple of hours, said Carlin, who co-authored the commentary published alongside the study Monday.

“Funding to adequately assess and support changes required to address root causes of adverse health and inequitable societal conditions and systems that disproportionately impact Black and Indigenous communities is essential, focusing on community-led efforts that may increase protective factors and reduce risk,” said Sabra Anckner, associate director for clinical and community collaboration at the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, who wasn’t involved in the new study.

Experts agree that continued education and community support to reinforce safe sleep practices is key, and time spent in the hospital post-partum is a critical opportunity.