by Claudia Boyd-Barrett posted in Parenting

Fewer babies are dying suddenly and inexplicably than 20 years ago, but American Indian, Alaska Native and African-American babies remain at greater risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than babies from other ethnic groups, a new study shows.
Researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pored over data on deaths attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome between 1995 and 2013. They found that Native American and black infants are more than twice as likely to die of SIDS than white, Hispanic and Asian or Pacific Islander babies.
It?s the first time researchers have looked at trends in SIDS deaths over time based on race, according to the study published online in Pediatrics. The good news is that, overall, deaths from SIDS have declined across all ethnic groups since a 1994 campaign urged parents to put babies to sleep on their backs.
But disparities remain.
In 2013, more than 170 out of every 100,000 Native American and black babies died of SIDS. That compared to 84 white babies, 49 Hispanic babies, and 28 Asian and Pacific Islander babies per 100,000 in each of those ethnic categories, the study found.
What explains this difference" The researchers aren?t sure. It could be some racial groups are more prone to SIDS because of genetics, conditions in their environment, or both, they said. Lead researcher Sharyn Parks told NPR that socioeconomic factors and access to prenatal care could also play a...