A Decade of Progress: Demonstrated Improvements in Safe Sleep Knowledge in Black Birthing People [ID 1725]

INTRODUCTION: Hamilton County has a markedly high infant mortality rate with persistent racial disparities in sleep-related deaths. Our study aimed to investigate if there are knowledge gaps surrounding safe sleep in the Black community of Hamilton County and if that changed over the course of a decade. METHODS: We conducted a nested case–control from a prospective cohort study of 575 postpartum birthing people at a large academic hospital. Structured interviews were analyzed from 2011 to 2014 (before a county-wide safe sleep awareness campaign was initiated) and from 2019 to 2022. Birthing people were defined as demonstrating knowledge of the American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep guidelines if they were able to identify all the following factors: 1) laying infant alone, 2) on their back, 3) on a firm mattress, 4) with nothing else in the crib, and 5) with no second-hand smoke exposure. RESULTS: Non-Hispanic Black birthing people were significantly less likely to demonstrate safe sleep knowledge than the non-Hispanic White reference group during the 2011–2014 period (odds ratio [OR] 0.52; 95% CI, 0.31–0.85]). We found no significant difference between groups in the later 2019–2022 period (OR 0.36 [0.13–1.03]). Proper safe-sleep knowledge of both non-Hispanic Black and White birthing people increased significantly over the two survey periods (67.5–83.8%, P =.01; 80.0–93.5%, P <.01). CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The disparity in safe sleep knowledge between Black and White birthing people was eliminated over the decade studied. Future analysis will determine if this improved awareness meaningfully narrows the racial gap in sleep-related infant deaths in Hamilton County.