UNITING CULTURAL PRACTICES AND SAFE SLEEP ENVIRONMENTS FOR VULNERABLE INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN INFANTS.

Abstract

Sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) is four times higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies compared to non-indigenous babies (Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian 2014). Co-sleeping is a culturally valued practice used by many indigenous families however is associated with an increased risk of infant death in hazardous circumstances (Venneman et al. 2012; Blair et al. 2014).