Consumer Products May Cause Traumatic Brain Injuries In Children, Study Finds

Consumer products are likely to cause traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in children, according to a recent study. It found that most of the TBIs in kids in the United States are caused due to products like beds, flooring and sports items.

"TBI is a major cause of disability and death in the United States," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The agency also reported that more than 837,000 TBI-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths among children occurred in the country in 2014."

The study, published in the medical journal Brain Injury last week, focussed on products and activities linked to non-fatal TBIs in kids and teenagers. The research team found that over four million TBIs among children in the U.S. were associated with various consumer products.

While home furnishing products, like flooring and beds, were linked to brain injuries in small kids, various sports activities, including basketball, football and bicycling, were associated with injuries in older kids, the study stated.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data of 4,091,376 nonfatal pediatric TBIs reported in the emergency rooms between 2010 and 2013. The data was collected from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System — All Injury Program.

Classified by age, there were 1,107,463 cases of TBIs in older children aged between 15 and 19; 834,565 in those aged between 10 and 14, 682,826 in children aged five to nine; 1,085,680 in kids aged one to four and 380,842 in babies under a year.

The study also stated that 71.3 percent of brain injuries in infants and 60.6 percent injuries in kids aged between one and four were caused due to home fixtures and furnishings as well as construction materials and home structures.

“A child’s age is important when looking at the incidence and causes of these injuries,” study author Bina Ali, a research scientist at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in Beltsville, Maryland, told Reuters.

“In this study we found that home furnishings and fixtures, primarily beds, were highest among infants and children up to 4 years old. Among children aged 5 to 19 traumatic brain injuries from sports and recreation were highest. The findings indicate priority areas for traumatic brain injury prevention,” the researcher added.

The study even stated that 17.2 percent of home furnishing and 17.1 percent of construction materials and home structures were associated with TBIs in kids. Hobbies, home electronics, personal use items and other product groups were accounted for 6.6 percent of brain injuries and toys were accounted for 2.4 percent of TBIs.

The scientist recommended removal of “tripping hazards, such as area rugs, improving lighting, avoiding hard surface playgrounds, using home safety devices, such as stair gates and stairway handrails” for protecting the younger children.