Grivna Michal, Barss Peter, Al-Hanaee Amna, Al-Dhahab Ayesha, Al-Kaabi Fatima, Al-Muhairi Shamma
United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE.
United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE Interior Health Authority of British Columbia, Salmon Arm, BC, Canada University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Asia Pac J Public Health. 2015 Mar;27(2):NP1507-16. doi: 10.1177/1010539513498766. Epub 2014 Mar 4.
Baby walkers (BWs) are a consumer product frequently associated with infant injuries. With little research in the Middle East and few population studies anywhere, female students in grade 12 in the United Arab Emirates were surveyed, assessing the prevalence of use, perceived safety, and interventions. The study population included grade-12 students in a large UAE city. Multistage random sampling selected 4/8 female Arab government schools and 3 classes each from science and arts tracks for interview by self-administered questionnaire. Response was 100%, with a total of 696 students, 55% (n = 385) of whom were Emirati citizens; 90% (n = 619) of the families used/had used BWs. Among the reasons for use, 92% reported "keeping baby safe," with 11% perceiving BWs as very safe and 74% as moderately safe. Only 16% perceived that BWs could cause injuries. Despite causing many injuries, including fatalities, BWs were perceived to be safe and used by nearly all families. Effective education of professionals, patients, the public, and decision makers is needed. Governments should consider countermeasures such as prohibiting importation, sales, and advertising, together with public education and provision of stationary activity centers.
婴儿学步车（BW）是一种常与婴儿受伤相关的消费品。由于中东地区对此研究甚少，且全球范围内的人群研究也不多，因此对阿联酋12年级的女学生进行了调查，评估其使用情况、感知安全性及干预措施。研究对象包括阿联酋一个大城市的12年级学生。采用多阶段随机抽样法，从8所阿拉伯女子政府学校中选取4所，并从理科和文科班各选3个班级，通过自填问卷进行访谈。回复率为100%，共有696名学生，其中55%（n = 385）为阿联酋公民；90%（n = 619）的家庭使用过/曾使用过婴儿学步车。在使用原因中，92%的人表示是为了“保证婴儿安全”，11%的人认为婴儿学步车非常安全，74%的人认为其安全性一般。只有16%的人认为婴儿学步车会导致受伤。尽管婴儿学步车会造成包括死亡在内的许多伤害，但几乎所有家庭都认为它是安全的并仍在使用。需要对专业人员、患者、公众和决策者进行有效的教育。政府应考虑采取对策，如禁止进口、销售和广告宣传，同时开展公众教育并提供固定活动中心。
