Analysis of infant mortality caused by sudden infant death syndrome in the Russian Federation

Abstract

Reducing infant mortality remains a leading global public health challenge. Despite the stable trend towards a decrease in the indicator, including in the Russian Federation, it is necessary to continue work that will reduce the number of children who died in the first year of life. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is one of the causes of infant death underreported by prevention programs in many countries. Research studying the epidemiology of this problem in the Russian Federation should become an incentive for an active start of campaigns for the prevention of SIDS. The article presents the results of the descriptive study of infant mortality associated with sudden infant death syndrome in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in 2019 according to the Federal State Statistics Service. In 2019, sudden infant death syndrome caused the death of 259 children in their first year of life. The infant mortality rate due to SIDS was 0.17 per 1000 live births. Over the period from 2008 to 2019, the indicator decreased by 56% (in 2008 - 0.39 per 1000 children born alive). The highest mortality rate of children in the first year of life due to sudden infant death syndrome in 2019 was recorded in the Far Eastern Federal District (0.31 per 1000 live births), the lowest in the Central FD (0.10). In 2019, the value of the indicator varied widely across the constituent entities of the Russian Federation: in 28 constituent entities cases of SIDS were not recorded, while in 17 constituent entities the infant mortality rate was higher than the national average. The relative risk of developing SIDS was also quite variable across the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Thus, the analysis revealed a scatter in the infant mortality rate due to SIDS among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which requires further research.