NEW STUDY EXAMINES INJURIES RELATED TO CRIBS, PLAYPENS AND BASSINETS IN THE U.S.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
A new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy examined injuries associated with cribs, playpens and bassinets among children younger than 2 years of age. According to the 19-year study from 1990 through 2008, an average of 9,500 injuries and more than 100 deaths related to these products were seen in U.S. emergency departments each year.
The majority of the injuries involved cribs (83 percent) and the most common injury diagnoses were soft-tissue injury (34 percent) and concussion or head injury (21 percent). The head or neck was the most frequently injured body region (40 percent), and two-thirds of the injuries were the result of a fall.
Researchers called for improved product design, increased enforcement of safety standards and greater efforts to increase awareness of the potential dangers of these nursery products. “Despite the attention given to crib safety over the past two decades, the number of injuries and deaths associated with these products remains unacceptably high,” said Dr. Gary Smith, senior author of the study and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy. “Unlike other child products that require adult supervision for their safe use, cribs, playpens and bassinets must be held to a higher standard because we expect parents to leave their child unattended in them and walk away with peace of mind.”
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