Shopping cart injuries send 66 kids to ER each day, study says
Sixty-six children a day are treated for shopping cart-related injuries, according to a recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Researchers examined data of children younger than 15 who were treated in U.S. emergency departments from 1990 through 2011 for injuries associated with shopping carts. "About 530,494 injured children were documented during the study period, averaging more than 24,000 children annually — which equals 66 children per day or one child every 22 minutes treated in an emergency room," researchers said in a news release.
Falls from shopping carts accounted for the majority of injuries (about 70 percent). Other injuries included running into/falling over the cart, a cart that tips over and entrapment.
To help prevent shopping cart-related injuries, researchers recommend:
-- Always using the shopping cart safety straps. Be sure your child is snugly secured in the straps and that the child’s legs are placed through the leg openings. If parts of the cart restraint system are missing or are not working, choose another cart.
-- Choose a cart that has a child seat that's low to the ground, if one is available.
-- Make sure your child remains seated and stay with the cart and your child at all times.
-- Avoid placing infant carriers on top of shopping carts. If your child is not old enough to sit upright by himself in the shopping cart seat, consider other options such as using a front- or backpack carrier or using a stroller.