Most often involved in the accidents are flat-screen TVs which can be found in millions of homes.
Advertisement
Rising numbers of small children are being injured by large, flat-screen televisions toppling off furniture onto them, researchers have warned.
CBS News reports that according to the study, children with ages 1 to 3 have the highest risk, and injuries sustained by this age group are more severe than those of older children.
The study looked at 29 studies throughout seven countries that analyzed head-and-neck injuries caused by falling TVs.
Between 2011 and 2013, more than 15,000 children eacb year on average went to emergency rooms for injuries involving television sets, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
The analysis showed that 84 percent of the reported injuries occurred at home, and adult caregivers did not witness approximately three-fourths of them. He noted that busy parents do not have time to constantly supervise children, “so it’s not surprising that these injuries are getting reported more often”. Researchers claim that in the last 10 years, there has been a sharp rise in the number of children victimized by falling TVs.
“(TVs) can really, really hurt a child”, Smith said. “The child died”.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Michael Cusimano, a professor of neurology, education and public health at the University of Toronto and a neurosurgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital also found that many kids are left unsupervised around a big television that is not properly secured.
The study was published Tuesday in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.
“It’s often like a crush injury”, Drake said in an interview Monday.
Crothers said the province encourages parents to check televisions are mounted properly, and consult Manitoba’s injury prevention plan.
“TVs like this are top heavy with a narrow base”.
Cusimano discovered that although limitations are in location for trying out cabinets along with other home furniture, they probably are not proven to resist the excess body fat of Tvs because that isn’t their own major choose. Dr Cusimano has compiled a list to help protect children.
“It’s a totally preventable trauma”, agreed Drake”, and families need to be vigilant and tether their TVs so they can’t possibly fall over.
Monitoring the placement of your TV may be just as important as monitoring what your kids watch.
Manufacturers can produce shorter, wider TV stands to reduce the risk of toppling.
– Create a restricted play area around the television.
Advertisement
Caregivers should be mindful of not putting toys or bright objects near the TV that may encourage climbing, he said.
