Abstract
Objective
To describe the incidence, rate, and characteristics of injuries associated with strollers
and carriers among young children in the United States.
Methods
A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from the National Electronic Injury
Surveillance System for children 5 years of age and younger treated in emergency departments
(1990–2010), who sustained an injury associated with a stroller or carrier.
Results
An estimated 360,937 (95% confidence interval: 294,279–427,594) children aged 5 years
or younger were treated in emergency departments for stroller- or carrier-related
injuries, an average of 17,187 annually. Overall, the rate of stroller- and carrier-related
injuries decreased significantly during the study period. Regarding stroller-related
injuries, patients were most commonly male (52.4%) and younger than 1 year of age
(42.0%); the head (43.0%) and face (31.0%) were most commonly injured. The most common
diagnoses were soft tissue injuries (39.4%) and traumatic brain injuries/concussions
(24.6%). Similarly, for carrier-related injuries, patients were most commonly male
(52.5%) and younger than 1 year of age (89.0%); the head (61.5%) and face (24.7%)
were most commonly injured. The most common diagnoses were soft tissue injuries (48.1%)
and traumatic brain injuries/concussions (34.9%). Carrier-related injuries resulted
in more hospitalizations (6.5%) than stroller-related injuries (2.4%).
Conclusions
Stroller- and carrier-related injuries, specifically those resulting from falls from
the product or tip-overs, are important sources of injury for children 5 years of
age and younger. Although injuries over the 21-year study period decreased overall,
the considerable number of injuries annually shows the need to further reduce the
potential for injury associated with these ubiquitous products.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 08, 2016
Accepted:
July 3,
2016
Received:
January 14,
2016
Footnotes
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Identification
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by Academic Pediatric Association
