Pampers will Print the Back to Sleep Logo Across the Diaper Fastening Strips of its Newborn Diapers

NEW YORK, NY (April 26, 1999) ‐ At a press event held today at the Vanderbilt YMCA in New York City, Tipper Gore, national spokesperson for the Back to Sleep Campaign, announced that Pampers has joined the fight against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of death among babies ages one to 12 months old. Pampers will print the Back to Sleep logo (a baby sleeping on its back) across the diaper-fastening strips of its newborn diapers, marking the first time ever that a diaper has delivered life-saving information straight to parents and caregivers. This effort will greatly increase the number of people who directly receive the important message that placing a baby down to sleep on its back significantly reduces the risk of SIDS.

"I am thrilled to announce that the Back to Sleep Campaign and Pampers have partnered to expand the reach of this important public service message, which we hope will have a dramatic, positive outcome in all communities," said Gore. "We have made great progress in recent years in the fight against SIDS, and this is one more significant step in the right direction."

"This issue is especially relevant for me and my husband as we prepare for the birth of our first grandchild this summer," Gore added. "I hope to spread the 'Back to Sleep' message to grandparents to ensure that all caretakers know the importance of putting babies on their backs to sleep."

SIDS is the sudden, unexplained death of an infant one to 12 months old. In 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that infants be placed to sleep on their backs or sides to reduce the risk of SIDS. U.S. data shows that the prevalence of infant stomach sleeping has decreased from 70 percent before the campaign to 21 percent in 1997, and, simultaneously, the death rate from SIDS has dropped 43 percent. In an updated policy statement issued in 1996, the AAP indicated that the back sleep position offers the lowest risk of SIDS and is the preferred position.

"The reduction in SIDS deaths is a direct result of the Back to Sleep Campaign," said Duane Alexander, M.D., Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). "The Campaign has proven successful in educating the medical field, parents, grandparents and caretakers about the importance of putting babies to sleep on their backs to significantly reduce the risk of SIDS."

Launched in 1994, the Back to Sleep Campaign is a public-private health education campaign led by the NICHD, a part of the National Institutes of Health. Campaign partners include the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the AAP, the SIDS Alliance, and the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs. Mrs. Gore joined the Back to Sleep campaign as its official spokesperson in 1997, and has put her considerable talents to work to educate the public.

Pampers joined the Back to Sleep crusade at the urging of the Pampers Parenting Institute, a forum comprised of the world’s leading childcare experts which provides information and guidance to families with children. This extraordinary partnership of the public and private sector offers a unique opportunity to use Pampers’ widespread consumer appeal and mass marketing resources to deliver the Back to Sleep message to millions of people. As the leading diaper used in hospitals, Pampers’ delivery of the Back to Sleep message ensures that both mother and baby will receive this information while still in the hospital, a crucial time in developing childcare patterns.

Studies have shown that:

• 95 percent of SIDS deaths are post-neonatal (after one month of age)
• Most SIDS deaths occur when a baby is between two and four months of age
• SIDS deaths in the U.S. have declined 43 percent between 1992 and 1997, as infant sleep position has switched from stomach to back - saving the lives of nearly 2,000 infants each year
• African-American babies are 2.4 times more likely to die from SIDS than Caucasian babies; Native American babies are 2.8 times more susceptible

"With the support of Pampers, every time a caregiver changes a baby's diaper they will be reminded that back sleeping is best, reducing the risk of a baby dying from SIDS," said Evelyn K. Moore, President of the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), one of the nation's foremost organizations serving African-American children and their families. "This effort will not only increase the delivery of this important lifesaving message to all caregivers, but will also significantly increase awareness in the African-American community."

In addition to imprinting the Back to Sleep logo on diapers in three different languages – English, French and Spanish – Pampers will support the campaign in the following ways:

• Featuring the Back to Sleep logo and 800 number on the Newborn Diaper package
• Including Back to Sleep information in its Child Birth Education packets, which reach 2.5 million mothers each year, and in its Child Birth Educator newsletter
• Including Back to Sleep information in booklets distributed through pediatricians’ offices
• Posting Back to Sleep information on the Pampers Web site (www.pampers.com ) through E-mail Newsletters
• Including Back to Sleep information in the direct mail pieces that reach 1.5 million mothers of newborns
• Implementing an aggressive media outreach program targeting minority communities

"When Mrs. Gore and the Back to Sleep campaign asked us to join the fight against SIDS, we rallied our resources to help in any way we could," said Jeff Ansell, Vice President, General Manager, North American Baby Care. "We are proud to use our resources to reach millions of consumers with this critical message, and honored to join with the NICHD and the Back to Sleep campaign who have already done so much to reduce the number of families who are affected by SIDS."

For more information on the Back to Sleep Campaign and SIDS, consumers can call 1-800-505-CRIB (800-505-2742), or visit the Pampers Parenting Institute Web site at www.pampers.com .

The Pampers Parenting Institute provides a forum for parents to interact with the foremost child health and development experts. Established in 1996, the Pampers Parenting Institute is designed to be an important resource for providing parents with the support and advice they seek on children newborn to age three.

The NICHD is part of the National Institutes of Health, the biomedical research arm of the Federal government. Since its inception in 1962, the Institute has become a world leader supporting and conducting basic, clinical, epidemiological research on reproductive, developmental, and behavioral processes that determine and maintain the health of children, adults, families, and populations.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is a member of the Back to Sleep Campaign. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 55,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.

The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) is one of the nation's foremost organizations serving African American children and their families. The NBCDI has developed a nationwide affiliate network of volunteer chapters that provide direct services at the community level in the areas of early care and education, elementary and secondary education, child welfare, health and parenting.