Some Children’s Toys Often Bring Trauma
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Stockbyte/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — When parents are thinking about which toys to put under the tree this year, they should also be thinking about safety and the risk of injury that comes with some toys.
In a new study published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics, researchers reviewed emergency room statistics from the past 21 years and found nearly 150,000 toy-related injuries occur annually among children.
Researchers say there has been a 60-percent increase in toy-related injuries since 1990. The number of injuries soared in the early 2000s with the advent of non-motorized scooters, but dropped shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, they are now trending up again.
Injuries from so-called “ride-on toys” have jumped by nearly 75 percent and were more likely to require hospital admission compared to other injuries.
Medical observers note that the study only involved toy-related injuries reported to ERs and does not include injuries treated at a clinic or those that went unreported.
The study’s researchers say additional public health efforts are needed to bolster toy safety awareness, and they also suggest that an examination into the effectiveness of recalls is needed.
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