ARCHIVED - Injuries associated with... BABY WALKERS

CHIRPP database for the years 1994-1995, as of March 1996, under 5 years of age

Note:
For more information on baby walkers, please follow this link to the Consumer Product Safety , Health Canada website.

SUMMARY (451 records)

Injuries associated with baby walkers were most common among children under one year old (89.6%) and 51.4% of walker injuries were sustained by boys. The majority of the injuries occurred in their own home living room or bedroom (51.4%) and most often occurred during the evening hours of 4-8 PM (30.1%). Most patients (77.4%) received advice only or minor treatment in the emergency department. Injuries requiring medical follow-up after leaving the emergency department accounted for 12.6% of patients, and 9.1% of patients were admitted to hospital. The types of injuries most frequently treated were abrasions, bruising, or inflammations (39.2%); and minor head injuries (35.3%). The head was the body part most affected in 89.6% of walker injuries.

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE SEARCH

A March 1996 search of the entire CHIRPP database (523,180 records) was conducted. The age of the patient was restricted to under 5 years. Records were selected if they contained a contributing factor code for baby walkers (1508); or the text fields contained the string "WALKER" or "MARCHETTE" and if the injury occurred during the calendar years 1994-1995. Records were excluded if the device involved in the injury was a "jolly jumper" or a "bouncing seat." The total number of records identified was 451.

OVERALL OCCURRENCE

The proportion of records in the CHIRPP database for children under 5 years of age accounted for by injuries associated with baby walkers was 0.7%. Walker injuries occurred more frequently in the spring (March to May, 31.9%), and less frequently in summer (June to August, 25.5%), autumn (September to November, 22.2%) and winter (December to February, 20.4%). Slightly more of these injuries occurred on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays, 31.7%). Baby walker injuries occurred most frequently, 30.6%, in the evening from 4 to 8 p.m., 21.5% occurred from 8 a.m. to noon, 18.8% for noon to 4 p.m., 11.5% for 8 p.m. to midnight, and 1.8% for midnight to 8 a.m.

AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION OF INJURED PERSONS

* Of all injuries in the CHIRPP database among infants less than 1 year, 52% were to males; and among 1-4 year olds, 57.1% were to males.

DISTRIBUTION OF INJURED PERSONS BY YEAR^*

^* Data for years 1990-1993 were taken from previous reports.

^** Percent of all injuries among children less than 5 years old.

WHERE THE INJURY OCCURRED^*

* 89.1% in own home; 5.8% in other home.

WHERE THE CHILD WAS POSITIONED WHEN INJURY OCCURRED

CIRCUMSTANCES OF INJURY

Note: The following is a list of frequently occurring circumstances and factors in injuries related to baby walkers. Each patient has been assigned to only one category and percentages are based on 451 persons injured. Category assignment is based on the level of detail available in the description of the injury.

NATURE OF INJURY AND BODY PART INJURED

^* Up to three injuries may be specified for each record. Ninety-one patients (20.2%) sustained more than one injury.

TREATMENT PROVIDED IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

^* The percentage of all CHIRPP injuries that resulted in hospital admission was 7.2 % among infants less than 1 year old and 4.9% among 1-4 year olds.

^** Fatalities counted by CHIRPP include only those patients who were dead on arrival at the emergency department or who died in the emergency department. They do not include people who died before they were taken to hospital or those who died after hospital admission.

PROFILE OF PATIENTS ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL

Forty-one patients were admitted to hospital, 22 males and 19 females. There were 37 children that were injured as a result of falling down stairs; 2 boys pulled hot kettles onto themselves, 1 boy pulled a deep fryer onto himself; and 1 boy had eaten cigarette butts. Among admitted patients 27 sustained fractures to the head and neck, 6 suffered minor head injuries, 3 sustained brain hematomas, 3 suffered burns to the upper extremities and trunk, 1 had a concussion and 1 suffered a poisoning.

1997-2e