Incidence and description of stroller-related injuries to children.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the incidence, circumstances, and types of stroller-related injuries among US children.

DESIGN

Retrospective review of data for children 3 years old and younger from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission for 1994-1998.

RESULTS

There were an estimated 64 373 stroller-related injuries (95% confidence interval [CI]: 49 223-79 514) to children 3 years old and younger treated in hospital emergency departments in the United States during the 5-year study period. The median age at the time of the injury was 11 months; 51% were males. The annual rate of injury among children <1 year old was 184.4 per 100 000. Seventy-six percent of injuries resulted from a fall from the stroller. A motor vehicle was involved in <1% of cases. Most injuries involved the head (44%) or face (43%). Injury diagnoses included contusions or abrasions (38%), lacerations (24%), closed head injury (22%), and extremity fractures (3%). Two percent of injured children, an estimated 992 (95% CI: 428-1556), were admitted to the hospital during the study period, an annual admission rate of 1.3 per 100 000. Seventy percent of admissions were for head trauma.

CONCLUSIONS

Injuries related to strollers are common, particularly among children in the first year of life. They often result from falls from the stroller. The data suggest that restraint use would prevent many stroller-related injuries.