Photo Credit: Yobro10

The following is a summary of “Individual-, Hospital-, And Community-Level Factors Associated With Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Among Infants Born Preterm in 5 US States,” published in the December 2024 issue of Pediatrics by Hwang et al.   

Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) is a significant cause of mortality, especially among preterm infants. Identifying individual, hospital, and community risk factors is vital for guiding preventive strategies.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to identify factors among infants born preterm associated with SUID.  

They analyzed linked data from five U.S. states (California, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina) from 2005 through 2020, including infant birth and death certificates, maternal and infant hospitalization discharge records, hospital data from the American Hospital Association (AHA), and community-level data from the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). Multivariable models assessed the independent association between these factors and SUID, adjusting for several maternal and infant characteristics.  

The results showed that maternal demographic factors such as race and ethnicity, education, and insurance, along with infant gestational age, were significant predictors of SUID. Infants living in areas with the highest SVI were more likely to experience SUID compared to those living in areas with the lowest SVI. No significant difference in SUID odds by state, urban influence code, or maternal complications. Hospital-level factors, including whether the hospital was a teaching hospital or had a high or low volume of preterm births, did not affect the odds of SUID.  

They concluded that individual and community-level factors among infants born preterm were associated with SUID risk.  

Source: jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(24)00548-1/abstract