Hāpai Te Hauora celebrate Safe Sleep Day - Te Rā Mokopuna Ora on Friday 02 December in recognition of the urgent need to address safe sleep for NZ babies. Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) can be a terrifying topic for new parents to think about. Sadly each year in New Zealand 60 to 70 babies die suddenly when they sleep. Most of these can be prevented. It is important to understand the facts and know what you can do to help protect your baby.
As the National voice of Tobacco Control Advocacy, Hāpai urge families and whānau to support more Smokefree environments that surround new babies and their mums. There is overwhelming evidence that shows eliminating smoking is a major protective factor against SUDI, being Smokefree helps baby’s breathing and keeps both baby and mother well. NZ babies need protection so Hāpai encourage and support Smokefree mums, whānau (family), whare (homes) and waka (cars).
Māori babies are five times more likely to die of Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy than non-Māori babies, but less than half of Māori families are being given the safe sleep advice, University of Auckland researchers found. "Research with Māori and Pakeha GPs shows some Pakeha GPs find it harder to communicate with Māori patients and Māori are less comfortable, trusting and forthcoming in their interactions with Pakeha GPs," a report by Carla Houkamau found.
More effective solutions have been found in Auckland communities that have shown high success rates in engaging with Māori mums and making a difference for NZ babies. An example of a culturally appropriate and effective solution is wahakura. Wahakura are safe sleep baskets for babies, woven from traditional Māori materials.
This is why, for Te Rā Mokopuna Ora 2016, the Hāpai Te Hauora regional public health collective consisting of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, Raukura Hauora o Tainui and Te Whānau o Waipareira will be supporting whānau, hapū and iwi across Auckland through the provision of wahakura in several kohanga reo and a number of marae throughout the region. Through these activities whānau will also be encouraged to consider Smokefree environments and receive education and learnings about alcohol, drugs, nutrition and physical activity and gambling harm reduction. “As a regional collective we want to create leaders within our whānau, hapū and iwi to improve the opportunities for our mokopuna, we do this by providing resources and education for our whānau on safe sleeping options” states Hemi Tahuri of Te Whānau o Waipareira Trust.
Hāpai Te Hauora hopes that this will help inform our communities who are often not receiving appropriate antenatal advice and care to assist in the reduction of SUDI rates in New Zealand.
