Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) remains the main cause of death in infants between 1 week of age and 1 year. Professor Barry Taylor has been involved in research in this area for over thirty years and continues to support and develop research in this area.
Current issues are the continued and tragic deaths of 40–60 infants every year in New Zealand, despite knowledge now of the key factors for prevention. While smoking in pregnancy (by itself an important risk factor) has decreased dramatically, the majority of deaths are occurring during direct bedsharing with adult(s) sleeping on the same bed surface. Why protective spaces (such as wahakura or pepipods) are not being used needs further understanding.
Key people
- Professor Barry Taylor
- Dr Lisa Daniels, Department of Human Nutrition
- Dr Charmaine Barber, independent qualitative Māori researcher
- Professor Barbara Galland
Postgraduate student
- Lauren Miller
Current studies
- Prevalence of safer sleep options in NZ (in collaboration with Whānau Āwhina Plunket)
- Understanding the use of protective environments for babies – why they are used and when and why they stop being used
Collaborators
- Emeritus Professor Ed Mitchell, University of Auckland
- Professor David Tipene-Leach, Eastern Institute of Technology
- Stephanie Cowan, Change for our Children
- Members of International Society for the Prevention of Infant Death (ISPID)