Reducing the Risk (Australia, SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping)
Also: Reduce the Risk (1991) · Red Nose Safe Sleeping
Australian SIDS risk reduction campaign started in 1991 and run statewide in New South Wales in 1992 by NSW Health and the Sudden Infant Death Association. Its messages (back sleeping, face uncovered, smoke-free, safe sleep space) became the SIDS and Kids, later Red Nose, safe sleeping programme.
- Years
- 1991–now
- Country
- Australia
- Topic
- Infant sleep
- Asks people to
- StopSubstitute
- Strategy
- Simple instruction
- Channel
- Clinical settingPrintTV
- Audience
- Parents
Evidence
ObservationalPositive
A 1994 paper reports the impact of the 1992 NSW statewide campaigns; a 2011 scientific consensus forum reviewed the evidence behind the Reducing the Risk messages and kept back sleeping, face uncovered, smoke avoidance, a safe sleep space, room sharing and the infant's own cot.
Sponsor (who paid)
- NSW Health Department Foreign government, co-lead
- Sudden Infant Death Association of NSW (SIDA), later SIDS and Kids / Red Nose NGO, co-lead
Credits (who made it)
Not recorded yet.
Related campaigns
- Back to Sleep 1994–now
- Back to Sleep (UK) / Reduce the Risk of Cot Death 1991–now
Sources
- Preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in NSW: Impact of health education campaigns evaluation · 1994 · DOI 10.1071/nb94033
- Sudden infant death syndrome : following up on the 1991 Reduce the Risk Campaign evaluation · 1998 · DOI 10.25911/5d63c35ca2c1c
- Scientific consensus forum to review the evidence underpinning the recommendations of the Australian SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping Health Promotion Programme – October 2010 reference · 2011 · DOI 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2011.02215.x · PMID 22050484
- Review Article Reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome: A review of the scientific literature reference · 1998 · DOI 10.1046/j.1440-1754.1998.00225.x · PMID 9633965
Research notes
Need the SIDS rate change for NSW and Australia after 1991 from the 1994 paper's full text. Found through OpenAlex (October 2026 sleep pass, see docs/sleep-campaigns-openalex.md). Findings paraphrased from abstracts; check the paper before quoting a number.
Record cases/reducing-the-risk-australia.json, updated 2026-10-23· Link to this campaign