Prevention strategies for infant walker-related injuries

The estimated number of walker-related injuries to infants increased during the 1980s, and standards for walker design safety remain voluntary with no monitoring to assess compliance. Although banning the walker has been proposed, this prevention strategy has not been employed. The most recent statistics available indicate that there were an estimated 27,804 walker-related injuries requiring emergency room attention among ages 0-4 years in 1991. Results of a survey of parents of 3-12-month-olds indicated considerable use of walkers, with greater use among parents with lower educational levels. Reported reasons for using walkers were for the infant's entertainment, enjoyment, and containment, as well as to help infants learn to walk. The authors recommend the consideration of a series of preventive strategies according to the epidemiologic framework for injury control and prevention designed by William Haddon, Jr. These include, but are not limited to, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of the walker, mandatory standards, redesign of the walker, design of an alternative to the walker, and consumer education to reduce use and to change patterns of use.