Addressing Disparity: What Aspects of African American Culture Contribute to an Increased Risk for Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID)?

Abstract

Introduction: African American infants in the United States were 2.4 times more likely to die in the first year of life than white infants. In Indiana, the 2013 overall Infant Mortality Rate was 7.2, but the rate for African Americans was 15.3. Non-breast feeding mothers, sleep positioning, sleep surface, bed sharing, and learning barriers among African American mothers suggest differences in outcomes as compared with infants born in white families. This systematic review of the literature focuses on the corollary variables between SUID and African American culture, specifically what puts African American babies at an increased risk for dying. Methods: A rigorous multi-database search was conducted using key words SUID, African American Culture. Originally we accessed 217 articles. Of these 217 articles, we found fifteen qualitative articles and 28 quantitative articles that met our inclusion criteria of being between the years 1990-2015 and had a specific link between African American culture and SUID. We will be using the System for the Unified Management, Assessment and Review of Information (SUMARI) through the Joanna Briggs Institute. Two tools, the Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (QARI) and Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment Review Instruments (MASTARI) will carry out the validity, reliability and data extraction. Results: Preliminary themes suggest that breast-feeding, sleep positioning, and sleep surface, bed sharing, and learning barriers may contribute to the SUID disparity among African Americans. Conclusion: Further investigation may prove useful in determining what interventions could be placed in practice to decrease SUID in black infants. Health care professionals need to be aware of the disparity when developing their approach to care for African American infants and their families.