Infanticide: Is its incidence among postneonatal infant deaths increasing? An 18-year population-based analysis in California

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dc.contributor.authorKrous, H.
dc.contributor.authorNadeau, J.
dc.contributor.authorSilva, P.
dc.contributor.authorByard, R.
dc.date.issued2002
dc.description.abstractThe decline in the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and recent recommendations regarding the differentiation of SIDS and child abuse has generated speculation that some cases of infanticide were misdiagnosed as SIDS. The aims of this study were to determine the change in incidences and proportions of postneonatal deaths from all causes, SIDS, and infanticide in California over an 18-year interval encompassing years before and after the Back to Sleep campaign. Selected postneonatal mortality data from 1981 through 1998 obtained from the California Department of Health Services were analyzed and graphically displayed. The total postneonatal mortality and incidence of SIDS deaths per 100,000 live births decreased 45% and 66%, respectively, during the study interval; the incidence of infanticide remained low. The ratio of infanticide to SIDS increased from 4.3 per 100 in 1981 to 10.2 per 100 in 1998. Infanticide deaths, as a percentage of the total number of postneonatal deaths, increased slightly from the first to the second half of the study interval but never rose above 3.2%. It is concluded that this increased percentage is due to a decrease in SIDS deaths and not to an actual increase in infanticide deaths.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityHenry F. Krous, Julie M. Nadeau, Patricia D. Silva and Roger W. Byard
dc.identifier.citationAmerican Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 2002; 23(2):127-131
dc.identifier.doi10.1097/00000433-200206000-00003
dc.identifier.issn0195-7910
dc.identifier.issn1533-404X
dc.identifier.orcidByard, R. [0000-0002-0524-5942]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/5484
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherLippincott Williams & Wilkins
dc.rights© 2002 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
dc.source.urihttp://ovidsp.ovid.com.proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&CSC=Y&NEWS=N&PAGE=fulltext&AN=00000433-200206000-00003&LSLINK=80&D=ovft
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectSudden Infant Death
dc.subjectDiagnosis, Differential
dc.subjectIncidence
dc.subjectInfant Mortality
dc.subjectPostpartum Period
dc.subjectInfanticide
dc.subjectInfant
dc.subjectInfant, Newborn
dc.subjectCalifornia
dc.titleInfanticide: Is its incidence among postneonatal infant deaths increasing? An 18-year population-based analysis in California
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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