Prematurity and Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths in Pakistan

Children in Pakistan are dying from SUID in greater numbers than in the rest of the industrialized world. The results of this study confirm a relationship between infant and mother characteristics of infant gestational age, birth weight, and birth order, combined with mother characteristics of age, marital status, educational status, month prenatal care began, infant birthplace, medical attendant, and delivery method. Education of stakeholders (parents, caregivers, and health professionals) is needed to prospectively identify infants more at risk for SUID and prepare parents for the diligence required to save lives and eventually eliminate SUID. Actionable interventions are needed to save infant lives and eliminate SUID. The potential positive social change that could result from this study would be an elimination of infant deaths due to SUID through evaluation of characteristics that suggest a higher risk in certain infant populations when assessment of the mother’s characteristics is also simultaneously evaluated. This study needed to be done because one infant death is one too many and SUID remains a public health crisis