Social and environmental risk factors for unintentional suffocation among infants in China: a descriptive analysis

BACKGROUND: This retrospective study aimed to determine the epidemiological features of deaths caused by unintentional suffocation among infants in China. METHODS: The data used in this study were obtained from China’s Under 5 Child Mortality Surveillance System (U5CMSS) from October 1, 2015, to September 30, 2016. A total of 377 children under 1 year of age who died from unintentional suffocation were included in the survey. Primary caregivers were interviewed individually using the Unintentional Suffocation Mortality among Children under 5 Questionnaire. EpiData was used to establish the database, and the results were analysed using SPSS 22.0. RESULTS: Most (85.9%) unintentional infant suffocations occurred in rural areas, and 67.5% occurred in infants 0 to 3 months old. Among the primary caregivers of the infants, most (82.7%) had a junior middle school education or below, and 83.1% of them lacked unintentional suffocation first aid skills. Of the 377 unintentional suffocated-infant deaths, the causes of death were accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed (ASSB) (193, 51.2%), inhalation suffocation (154, 40.8%), other unintentional suffocation (6, 1.6%), and unknown (24, 6.4%). Among the infant deaths due to ASSB, overlaying (88.6%) was the most frequently reported circumstance. A total of 93.8% of cases reported occurred during co-sleeping/bed sharing with parents, and in 72.8% of the cases, the infants were covered with the same quilt as their parents. In our study, most inhalation suffocation deaths (88.3%) involved liquid food (such as breast milk and formula milk). A total of 80.5% of infant deaths reportedly occurred after eating; in 28.2% of those cases, the infants were held upright and patted by their caregivers, and 57.2% of them were laid down to sleep immediately after eating. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce the occurrence of unintentional suffocation, local government should strengthen knowledge and awareness of unintentional suffocation prevention and safety among parents and caregivers. Additionally, health care providers should educate parents and caregivers about safety issues of unintentional suffocation, and relevant policies should be introduced to provide environments and activities that reduce the risk of suffocation, such as promoting the Safe to Sleep Campaign. It is important to enhance the focus on infant unintentional suffocation as a health issue. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12887-021-02925-4.