Tips to avoid sudden infant deaths, achieve better mental health

Algoma Public Health (APH) officials presented a snapshot of the Sault and Algoma population’s overall physical and mental condition, contained in their ‘Algoma Community Health Profile, September 2018’ at a gathering of community stakeholders held at the APH building on Willow Avenue Thursday.

The area’s infant mortality rate was 7.5 per 1,000 births between 2000 and 2012, higher than the provincial number of five per 1,000.

“There are two main causes of infant mortality that we saw,” said Dr. Jennifer Loo, Algoma Public Health associate medical officer of health, speaking to reporters after Thursday’s presentation.

“One was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the other was extremely low birth weight, which is often related to prematurity, where babies are born a little too early, they’re a bit small,” Loo said.

“The science isn’t really there yet in terms of why young infants have Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and why at times women give birth too early, but there are two very key factors that are modifiable, that we can change,” Loo stated.

“One is if we put the baby to sleep on their back, we know that lowers their risk of SIDS.”

“The other thing is to avoid exposure to tobacco smoke. We know that exposure to smoking increases a baby’s risk of SIDS, so if we make sure the baby is not exposed to tobacco smoke, we can reduce those rates,” Loo said.

The APH profile shows one in four mothers in Algoma have smoked during pregnancy.

“Adolescent pregnancy continues to be a concern as many teenage mothers in Algoma do not do well when it comes to having a healthy pregnancy,” the profile states, APH urging mothers to take folic acid before and during pregnancy, not to smoke during pregnancy and addressing mental health concerns of mothers during and after pregnancy.

Loo added a healthy start for children, with proper diet and exercise, will definitely contribute to better health in adulthood.      

Another area of concern is rates of hospitalization in Algoma due to mental health or addictions issues, on the increase elsewhere in the northeast and across Ontario.

In 2017, Algoma rates of hospitalization due to mental health or addictions were at 553 per 100,000 people, higher than the rest of the northeast (520 per 100,000) and across Ontario (184 per 1,000).

“On the one hand, we know that our services have been increasing and improving and that’s good because it means that people who need help are getting it, but a lot of times we still have to battle things like stigma, people feeling completely uncomfortable or shamed and not able to access the care services they need,” Loo said.

To achieve mental fitness, APH urges people to be physically active, volunteer, practice stress management, set personal goals, enjoy hobbies and ‘enjoy the moment.’

The 39-page, easy to read APH profile, available online, includes brief chapters on Algoma’s demographics, life expectancy, maternal health, child and youth health, infectious disease, injuries, chronic disease and substance use and mental health.

“We built this report so that it’s understandable to the average lay person. We hope that individuals will use it, there are many health tips embedded within the report,” Loo said, APH having invited many stakeholders, with advance copies of the report, to Thursday’s presentation.

“We’ve identified, as much as we could, that basket of key health priorities...some are relevant for kids, some are relevant for women, and all of those groups deserve to have the opportunity for better health,” Loo said.