October 1, 1999

U.S. Surgeon General Announces Goal to Eradicate Disparity of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by 2005

October is National SIDS Awareness Month

NEW YORK -- U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher today announced an aggressive plan to eliminate the disparity of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) between the African American and Caucasian communities by the year 2005 during his speech on children's health at the American Medical Association (AMA) media briefing. SIDS, also known as "crib death," is the leading cause of death in infants between one month and one year of age.


U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher holds up a Pampers Newborn diaper featuring the Back to Sleep message as he announces a plan to reduce the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in the African American community at the JAMA Media Briefing in New York City on Wednesday, September 29, 1999. The plan, led by the National Institutes of Health, the National Black Child Development Institute and the Pampers Parenting Institute, begins in October, National SIDS Awareness Month.

"Despite the reduction of SIDS in recent years, African American infants are 2.4 times more likely than Caucasian infants to die from SIDS, " said Dr. Satcher. "It is imperative that we do even more to ensure that we reach parents and caregivers who are still not receiving the life-saving message that babies should be put on their backs to sleep."

An organization leading by example is the Pampers Parenting Institute (PPI) who is working to educate parents and caregivers about SIDS through its work with the Back to Sleep campaign. Pampers, at the urging of Tipper Gore, now prints the Back to Sleep logo (a baby sleeping on its back) across the diaper-fastening strips of its newborn diapers, marking the first time ever that a diaper has delivered life-saving information straight to consumers. The Back to Sleep campaign encourages all parents and caregivers to place infants on their backs to sleep. "Now every time a caregiver changes a baby's diaper they are reminded that back sleeping is best," said Evelyn K. Moore, President of the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), one of the nation's foremost organizations serving African American children and their families. "It's our hope that this effort will significantly help increase awareness in the African American community."

Tipper Gore, national spokesperson for the Back to Sleep campaign said, "The Back to Sleep campaign has been credited with reducing the incidence of SIDS in the United States by nearly 50 percent, but it is clear that we haven't successfully reached the African American population. I fully stand behind the efforts of these leading organizations as we take additional steps to reduce the incidence of SIDS in the African American community."

Pampers Parenting Institute will use its resources to reach African American parents and communicate the importance of back sleeping for infants and other steps parents can take to reduce the risk of SIDS. Currently, the fastening strips on all Pampers newborn diapers carry the Back to Sleep message in English, Spanish and French.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development will develop and distribute a series of new products including training kits, audio-visual materials, and other educational tools.

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