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Since the start of the “Back to Sleep” campaign in 1991 in the U.K., the number of deaths from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in that country has declined by 75% (from 1600 in 1988 to fewer than 300 annually in recent years). To examine risk factors other than sleep position that contribute to SIDS, investigators examined all 300 unexpected infant deaths that were classified as SIDS in Avon from 1984 through 2003.
Although the absolute number of SIDS deaths associated with co-sleeping with a parent has halved from before the campaign (1984–1991) to afterward (1992–2003), the proportion of SIDS deaths that occurred among infants who slept with a parent rose from 12% to 50%. In addition, the proportion of SIDS deaths rose from 47% to 74% …