Incident and Racial Discrepancies in News Media Reporting of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID)

Background: Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of childhood death, and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) causes many deaths in children under one year of age. There are significant disparities in mortality, with SUID rates impacting approximately twice as many Black infants as compared to White infants. Due to media reports potentially serving as an opportunity for shaping social norms, caregiver education and injury prevention, an evaluation was undertaken to determine Georgia local news reporting of SUID as compared to drownings, homicides, and firearm injuries, with further analysis of any racial discrepancies in the news media reporting of these deaths.

Methods: Data were reviewed from January 1st of 2014 to December 31st of 2018 using a search database of various news sources to determine the rate of deaths from the following injury mechanisms throughout the State of Georgia: motor vehicle crashes (MVCs), SUID, fire-related deaths, homicide and drowning under the age of 19, with further division of homicide under age one. The media reports were compared to the Georgia Online Analytical Statistical Information System (OASIS), a public health reporting database through Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) derived from death certificate data.

Results: Despite its high incidence, SUID was far less commonly mentioned in the media, with only 1.9% (10/525) mentioned as compared to 8.1% of drownings (17/211), 11.4% (74/649) of MVC’s, 14.7% (59/402) of homicides between ages 1-18, 20% (11/55) of fire-related deaths and 25% (15/59) of homicides under age one. When compared to SUID, these other deaths were mentioned in the news media between 4 and 13 times more. Both SUID and infant homicide disproportionately affected Black infants, with 58% (297/512) of SUID deaths and 71% (41/58) of infant homicide affecting Black infants. Despite this finding, deaths of White children under the age of one were reported in the media at 2.5 times the rate of Black children under the age of one, controlling for whether they died of SUID or homicide.

Conclusion: Despite SUID being a leading cause of infant death, it is infrequently mentioned in the media. When mentioned, the media are more likely to highlight the deaths of White infants as compared to Black infants under the age of one, though the incidence rate of SUID is higher in Black infants as compared to White.