Abstract â–¡ 13

Like many other countries which launched Reduce the Risk campaigns in the early 1990s, after experiencing an initial very dramatic drop in SIDS of around 70%, rates in the UK have remained fairly static at 0.6-0.7 pre 1000 live births since 1993. The remaining deaths, which in the UK numbered 463 in 1997, have proved more difficult to tackle.

While following the Reduce the Risk message would not totally eliminate SIDS, it is still clear that deaths are taking place because the message is not being followed. In 1991, merely issuing the message to parents and health professionals was enough to bring about a major change in at least some infant care practices for most people. However there is a case now for examining more closely the style and presentation of the message to make it more effective; for experimenting with different methods of presentation; and for developing entirely new approaches.

The paper will report on unpublished qualitative and quantitative research into parents' and professionals' attitudes toward the Reduce the Risk message, conducted 1997-98, and how, in particular, their attitudes toward the message may affect take-up. The paper will report how the FSID has altered its approach to meet some of these problems, and will invite discussion of other countries' Reduce the Risk message presentations.

The paper will also report on FSID's longer-term research approach to developing wholly new interventions with the groups where SIDS is increasingly concentrated. A growing proportion of deaths occur in lower socio-economic groups, and there is a need to gain a better, more detailed understanding of the circumstances of infant care and their effects on infant health in order to know how to effectively intervene to promote and protect infant wellbeing.