Google It?:
Internet Searches Often Provide Inaccurate Information about Infant Sleep
Safety
Cincinnati,
OH, August 2, 2012 – In 2010, 59% of the U.S. population used internet searches
for health information, and parents searching for information regarding their
children were among the top users. In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP) published recommendations for infant sleep safety to reduce the risk of
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), suffocation, strangulation, and other
accidental sleep-related deaths. However, according to a study scheduled for
publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, Google internet searches related to
infant sleep safety often do not reflect AAP recommendations.
Seventy-two
percent of adults thought that they could believe most or all of the health
information on the internet, and 70% of adults said that information that they
found on the internet impacted their health or their actions pertaining to
their health or the health of their children.
According to Rachel Y. Moon, MD, pediatrician and SIDS researcher at
Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, “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 that advice,
regardless of the reliability of the source.”
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