ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Infant care practices related to cot death in Turkish and Moroccan families in the Netherlands

B E van Sleuwen¹, M P L’Hoir¹, A C Engelberts³, P Westers⁴, T W J Schulpen²

¹ Department of Medical Psychology of the Division of Paediatrics of the University Medical Centre, The Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital, Utrecht, Netherlands
² Centre for Migration and Child Health, Division of Paediatrics of the University Medical Centre, The Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital
³ University Hospital Leiden, Department of Paediatrics, Leiden, Netherlands
⁴ Centre for Biostatistics, University of Utrecht, Netherlands

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Mw drs B E van Sleuwen, University Hospital Utrecht/Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital, KA.00.004.0, PO Box 85090, 3508 AB Utrecht, Netherlands;
B.E.vanSleuwen{at}wkz.azu.nl

From 1979 to 1993 Turkish infants had a significantly higher cot death risk compared to Dutch infants. In contrast Moroccan infants had a risk of cot death that was approximately three times lower compared to Dutch infants during the same period. This study shows that these differences have disappeared, while differences still exist in infant care practices between these ethnic groups. At 28 well-baby clinics, questionnaires were distributed for this sample selection. The response was 82%. Data were collected on 55 Turkish, 54 Moroccan, and 210 Dutch families.

Less than 7% of these three ethnic groups still placed infants in the prone position. Moroccan mothers hardly smoked. Turkish people used pillows and Moroccan people used soft mattresses more often. Moroccan families practised swaddling more widely. Length of maternal residence influenced some care giving practices. As a result of this study, subgroup specific intervention campaigns for safe sleeping can be developed for Turkish and Moroccan families.

Keywords: cot death; sudden infant death syndrome; infant care practices; ethnic group

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