Sudden infant death syndrome and local meteorologic temperature in North Carolina.

The association between meteorologic temperature and sudden infant death syndrome was investigated in the 1982-1983 North Carolina birth cohort. Maximum daily temperatures recorded at weather stations in the subject's county of residence for each day of the first year of life were entered into hazards models as time-dependent covariates. Risk ratios for a maximum temperature of < or = 53 degrees F (12 degrees C) 5 days before the event compared with a maximum temperature of > 53 degrees F were 2.3 (95% confidence interval 1.6-3.3) for blacks and 1.5(95% confidence interval 1.0-2.1) for whites. Similar results were found for minimum daily temperature. The analysis controlled for season of birth, sex, maternal age, maternal education, parity, and birth weight.