Infant sleep safety sites deemed 'frequently' inaccurate
28 per cent of 1,300 web sites reviewed provided inaccurate information, pediatricians say
CBC News
Websites offering health and medical information are often inaccurate when it comes to sleep recommendations for infants, pediatricians have found.
The American Academy of Pediatrics published recommendations on infant sleep safety last year aimed at reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS, suffocation, strangulation, and other accidental deaths during sleep.
In Tuesday's issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, doctors reported:
Nearly 44 per cent of the 1,300 web sites they reviewed provided accurate information based on the academy's recommendations.
28 per cent provided inaccurate information.
28 per cent were not relevant.
In previous studies, 72 per cent of adults in the U.S. said they believe most or all of the health information on the internet. About 70 per cent said that information that they found on the internet affected how they cared for their own health or the health of their children.
After excluding sites that were irrelevant, nearly 61 per cent of the remaining websites provided accurate information and advice, the researchers said.
"In conclusion, we found that health- and medical-related web sites frequently contain inaccurate information about infant sleep safety," Dr. Rachel Moon, a pediatrician and SIDS researcher at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington and her co-authors wrote.
"It is important for health care providers to realize the extent to which parents may turn to the internet for information about infant sleep safety and then act on the advice found, regardless of the reliability of the source."
