Abstract
<P>Advances in public health and medicine have greatly reduced infant morbidity and mortality. The risks to children of past decades — malnutrition, smallpox, polio, <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i> meningitis, and other infectious diseases — have been largely eliminated in the developed world. Now injury kills more children than any disease, and contributes to child morbidity. Concurrently, consumer products for children have proliferated; infants and children interact with them every day. They are the cribs or beds they sleep in, the chairs they sit in, the toys they play with, and the sporting equipment they use. Injuries associated with consumer products can result from product malfunction (eg, a handle breaks off an infant carrier), failure to use restraints (eg, a fall from a highchair), or a mishap related to proper use (eg, a fall from a bicycle). Although it is often impossible to obtain detailed information about product exposure and injury circumstances, injury surveillance data help to identify risk groups and injury patterns. In this review, we discuss public policy and regulatory issues relevant to consumer products, and use some product-related injuries as examples of both injury burden and preventive opportunities.</P> <H4>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</H4> <P>Elizabeth C. Powell, MD, MPH, is with Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine Children’s Memorial Hospital, and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL. </P> <P>Address correspondence to: Elizabeth C. Powell, MD, MPH, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine-Box #62, Children’s Memorial Hospital, 2300 Children’s Plaza, Chicago, IL 60614; fax 773- 880-8267; or e-mail: <a href="mailto:epowell@northwestern.edu">epowell@northwestern.edu</a>.</P> <P>Dr. Powell has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.</P> <H4>EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES</H4> <OL> <LI>Identify how information about injuries related to consumer products is collected and identify the limitations of this data.</LI> <LI>Review how consumer products are currently regulated.</LI> <LI>Determine the number and types of injuries associated with childhood activities and the efficacy of protective gear designed to prevent injuries.</LI> </OL>
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