Dear Sarah,
You note: "In Ghana it was also traditional for babies to sleep face up, as it was thought to improve head shape. From 1982 to 84 at Kumasi, Ghana I gave the then standard UK advice for newborns to sleep prone, just a few years before this advice changed in UK. The traditional way turned out to be right!"
This is very interesting. There is an implication that western advice (from Dr Spock and others) in the 60s and 70s may have persuaded many mothers to put their babies in the prone position, thereby inadvertently leading to increased risk of cot death. Do we have any data on trends in cot deaths in Ghana over the past 50 years?
Thanks to evidence synthesis, the recommended posture is now clear: to put the baby to sleep on their back. To what extent is this advice reaching mothers in Ghana?
It would also be very interesting to hear from other African countries, and other countries worldwide, about traditional practice for sleeping positions; the negative impact of western misinformation (in the past); and the level of awareness among mothers currently.
I found a related paper from HICs
https://uwmrf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Doering.2018.JCH_.pdf
but not LMICS.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org