Injuries related to toys increase by 40% in the US

Christmas is almost upon us, which means many parents will spend the coming weeks toy hunting for their little ones. But in a new study, researchers from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH, warn anyone buying toys for children to be cautious; every 3 minutes, a child in the US is treated in an emergency department for a toy-related injury.

Foot-powered scooters accounted for most of the 40% increase in toy-related injuries among children between 1990-2011, according to researchers.

The research team - including senior author Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury and Research policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital - analyzed 1990-2011 data from the US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.

During this period, the researchers found that 3,278,073 children and adolescents aged 17 and under were treated in emergency departments for toy-related injuries - the equivalent to one child every 3 minutes - with more than half of these injuries occurring in children under the age of 5 years.

The study - published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics - also revealed that the rate of toy-related injuries among children and adolescents increased by 40% between 1990 and 2011.