Sudden unexpected infant death and disparities in infant mortality in the US, 1999-2022

Sudden unexpected infant death and disparities in infant mortality in the US, 1999-2022
JAMA Pediatrics; Elizabeth R. Wolf, MD, MPH; Frederick P. Rivara, MD, MPH; Anabeel Sen, MBBS, MPH; Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH; 1/25
This study found that infant mortality from SUID [sudden unexpected infant death] has increased significantly. Previous data through 2020 showed that SUID increased among Black infants. Our analysis, which included 2021 and 2022 data, showed a more generalized increase. Possible explanations include COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses, maternal opioid use, and social media’s influence on infant sleeping practices. SUID mortality rates were notably higher among American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander infants than among Asian and White infants. Disparities in SUID could reflect unsafe sleeping position, prematurity, tobacco exposure, and/or infant feeding practices; further research is needed.