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Shopping trolley‐related injuries to children in New Zealand, 1988–97
Author(s) -
Parry ML,
Morrison LGL,
Chalmers DJ,
Wright CS
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1754.2002.00708.x
Subject(s) - medicine , incidence (geometry) , epidemiology , injury prevention , occupational safety and health , poison control , abbreviated injury scale , suicide prevention , pediatrics , injury surveillance , human factors and ergonomics , head injury , emergency medicine , medical emergency , injury severity score , surgery , physics , pathology , optics
Objective : To describe the epidemiology of shopping trolley related injuries (fatalities and hospitalizations) to children in New Zealand prior to the introduction of a voluntary standard for shopping trolleys. Methodology : To identify cases, a key word search was conducted of national mortality and hospitalization databases for the years 1988–97. Cases were limited to children under 15 years of age. Results : For the 10 year period investigated, 282 hospitalizations and no fatalities were identified. A significant increasing trend for hospitalizations was detected (χ 2 = 17.6, 1 d.f.; P < 0.001). Ninety‐two per cent of children hospitalized were aged under 5 years and two‐thirds were aged 2 years or younger. Ninety per cent of injuries resulted from falls from trolleys, 84% of injuries were to the head or face and 22% were rated serious (AIS‐3) on the Abbreviated Injury Scale. Conclusions : The incidence of injuries associated with shopping trolleys increased between 1988 and 1997. Following the introduction of a voluntary standard for shopping trolleys in 1999, which included specifications for child harnesses, trends in injury should be monitored.