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Maternal-Infant Bedsharing: Risk Factors for Bedsharing in a Population-Based Survey of New Mothers and Implications for SIDS Risk Reduction

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Abstract

Objectives: Maternal-infant bedsharing is a common but controversial practice. Little has been published about who bedshares in the United States. This information would be useful to inform public policy, to guide clinical practice and to help focus research. The objective was to explore the prevalence and determinants of bedsharing in Oregon.

Methods. Oregon Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) surveys a population-based random sample of women after a live birth. Women were asked if they shared a bed with their infant “always,” “almost always,” “sometimes” or “never.”

Results: 1867 women completed the survey in 1998–99 (73.5% weighted response rate). Of the respondents, 20.5% reported bedsharing always, 14.7% almost always, 41.4% sometimes, and 23.4% never. In multivariable logistic regression, Hispanics (adjusted odds ratio [ORa] 1.69, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.17–2.43), blacks (ORa 3.11, 95% CI 2.03–4.76) and Asians/Pacific Islanders (ORa 2.14, 95% CI 1.51–3.03), women who breastfed more than 4 weeks (ORa 2.65, 95% CI 1.72–4.08), had annual family incomes less than $30,000 (ORa 2.44, 95% CI 1.44–4.15), or were single (ORa 1.55, 95% CI 1.03–2.35) were more likely to bedshare frequently (always or almost always). Among Hispanic and black women, bedsharing did not vary significantly by income level. Bedsharing black, American Indian/Alaska Native and white infants were much more likely to be exposed to smoking mothers than Hispanic or Asian/Pacific Islander infants (p < .0001).

Conclusions: Bedsharing is common in Oregon. The women most likely to bedshare are non-white, single, breastfeeding and low-income. Non-economic factors are also important, particularly among blacks and Hispanics. Campaigns to decrease bedsharing by providing cribs may have limited effectiveness if mothers are bedsharing because of cultural norms.

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Abbreviations

SIDS:

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

OR:

odds ratio

ORa:

adjusted OR

CI:

Confidence Interval

PRAMS:

Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System

PNCHS:

Plunket National Child Health Study

NISPS:

National Infant Sleep Position Study

PHD:

Public Health Division

AAP:

American Academy of Pediatrics

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Tina Kent for her work on Oregon PRAMS, and Alfredo P. Sandoval, MBA, MS, for his preparation of the PRAMS/birth certificate data set. Some funding for Oregon PRAMS has come from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau-Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Disability Determination Services, Oregon Department of Human Services, 3150 Lancaster Dr. NE, Salem, OR, 97305-1350, USA

    Martin B. Lahr MD, MPH

  2. Office of Family Health, Oregon Public Health Division, Portland, OR, 97232, USA

    Kenneth D. Rosenberg MD, MPH

  3. Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA

    Jodi A. Lapidus PhD

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  1. Martin B. Lahr MD, MPH
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  2. Kenneth D. Rosenberg MD, MPH
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  3. Jodi A. Lapidus PhD
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Correspondence to Martin B. Lahr MD, MPH.

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Lahr, M.B., Rosenberg, K.D. & Lapidus, J.A. Maternal-Infant Bedsharing: Risk Factors for Bedsharing in a Population-Based Survey of New Mothers and Implications for SIDS Risk Reduction. Matern Child Health J 11, 277–286 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-006-0166-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-006-0166-z

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