Falls From Shopping Carts Versus Household Products Among Young Children

Abstract

Young children are exposed to various hazards both within and outside their home environments. Studies evaluating the causes of a high prevalence of injuries to young children have found childhood impulsiveness and curiosity, lack of general awareness, dependence on caregivers for safety, and lack of adequate supervision by adult caregivers among the reasons. Various studies of retail environments have documented the risk of injuries to young children from shopping carts. In 2017 alone, children 5 years old and younger accounted for approximately 19,000 injuries due to shopping carts requiring treatment in hospital emergency departments. The present study was undertaken to examine the prevalence of falls from shopping carts among children aged 0 to 5 years as compared to the prevalence of falls from common household products such as beds, couches, chairs, and so on. The results revealed that, of the 19,000 injuries associated with carts, over 12,000 were associated with falls from carts and that this proportion was comparable to those for common household products.