The Business Case for Protecting and Promoting Child and Adolescent HealthPrevention Opportunities
To encourage timely immunization, employers should provide coverage for all recommended
vaccines at no cost to beneficiaries (i.e., no copays or coinsurance). The Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices (ACIP) provides national recommendations on immunizations. These
recommendations change from time to time. For the most up-to-date set of recommendations, visit
the ACIP website at: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/ACIP-list.htm.
SIDS
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the sudden unpredictable death of an apparently
healthy infant under 1 year of age, with no detectable cause after a thorough case investigation.^31
SIDS is the leading cause of infant death between 1 month and 1 year in the United States; most
deaths happen when infants are between 2 months and 4 months of age.^32
Infants born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy are twice as likely to die of SIDS than
infants whose mothers did not smoke. Approximately 14% of SIDS deaths are caused by smoking
during pregnancy; in 2001, 299 infants died as a result of smoking-induced SIDS.^33 Infants who are
exposed to tobacco smoke following birth are also at a greater risk of developing SIDS than other
infants.
Health Impact and Economic Burden
An infant death that leaves unanswered questions causes intense grief for parents and families.
Parents may require counseling to overcome feelings of guilt and grief, and they may require
extended time off in order to recover from the loss.
Prevention Opportunities
Employers can help prevent SIDS deaths by educating
employees on risk factors for SIDS, including sleeping
positions and tobacco use.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
recommends positioning infants in the supine
position (laying on their back) during the first few
months following birth. Placing infants in the prone
position (laying on their tummy) is associated with
an increased incidence of SIDS. Deaths from SIDS
have decreased by more than 53% since 1992, which
is when the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) first recommended that caretakers place
infants on their backs.16, 34, 35
• Tobacco use treatment is critical for preconception, pregnant, and postpartum women.
Approximately 21% of American women of childbearing age smoke and 10.7% of women in
the United States admit to smoking during pregnancy.^36 Tailored smoking cessation programs
are proven to help women reduce or eliminate their tobacco use, and tobacco cessation
treatment for pregnant women is considered one of the most cost-saving preventive services.
Clinical trials have shown that $3 are saved in healthcare costs for every $1 invested in
treatment.^37
Employers should offer
comprehensive tobacco
use treatment benefits
(screening, counseling,
and medication); and
instruct their health
plans to actively educate
preconception and
pregnant women on the
dangers of tobacco use
and available treatment
services.