Despite actions to end the sale of new infant walkers in Canada, injuries associated with their use continue to occur. Infant walkers have been identified as a cause of injuries in children in Canada and abroad.(7-10) In Canada in 1989, the infant walker industry and the federal government agreed to a voluntary standard that has resulted in no new infant walkers being sold in Canada.(7) Yet, injuries associated with the use of these products continue to occur.(7) Information regarding infant walker-related injuries may be obtained from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP). CHIRPP is a computerized information system that collects and analyzes data on injuries to people (mainly children) who are seen at the emergency rooms of 10 paediatric hospitals and six general hospitals in Canada. In 1997, in children less than 2 years of age, there were 132 injuries due to infant walkers resulting in an emergency room visit to one of the participating CHIRPP hospitals. A 1996 CHIRPP report analyzed infant walker-related injuries from 1994-1995 in greater detail.(11) Of the 451 infant walker-related injuries reported to CHIRPP in that time period, 445 or 98.7% occurred in children less than 2 years of age, 377 or 83.6% resulted from falls down steps, stairs or from a height, and 41 or 9.1% of the reported injuries resulted in admission to hospital. The CHIRPP surveillance data have resulted in specific public health interventions to address infant walker-related injuries. In particular, an infant walker recycling program was developed in Winnipeg to recall infant walkers still in use.(12) Data limitations Summary
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Last Updated: 1999-06-16 |