Furniture tip-over-related injuries increasing: Study

Washington, May 04 (ANI): Furniture and televisions may not be considered dangerous, but kids often get hurt when these items tip over, a new study has found.

The study, carried out by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, found that from 1990-2007 an average of nearly 15,000 children younger than 18 years of age visited emergency departments annually for injuries received from furniture tip-overs.

According to the study, most furniture tip-over-related injuries occurred among children younger than 7 years of age and resulted from televisions tipping over.

The study also found that more than one quarter of the injuries occurred when children pulled over or climbed on furniture. Children ages 10-17 years were more likely to suffer injuries from desks, cabinets or bookshelves tipping over.

Head and neck injuries were most common among younger children, while children older than 9 years were more likely to suffer injuries to the lower body, the study found.

Despite warnings from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the number of injuries involving televisions and other furniture tipping over onto children has increased in this country since the early 1990s.

"There was a more than 40 percent increase in the number of injuries during the study period, and the injury rate also significantly increased during these years," said study senior author Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

"This trend demonstrates the inadequacy of current prevention strategies and underscores the need for increased prevention efforts," he added.

The study is published in the online issue of Clinical Paediatrics in May.(ANI)