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Childhood Bathtub-Related Injuries: Slip and Fall Prevalence and Prevention

Brenda J. Shields, MS

Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, Center for Injury Research and Policy, Columbus Children’s Research Institute, Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio

Gary A. Smith, MD, DrPH

Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, Center for Injury Research and Policy, Columbus Children’s Research Institute, Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio

This study was conducted to describe the epidemiology of childhood bathtub-related injuries and to recommend methods for prevention of bathtub-related slips and falls. A consecutive series of 204 children, who were treated for bathtub-related injuries in a pediatric emergency department during a 3-year period were included in the study. The age range was 4 months to 16 years (mean 3.1, SD 2.8, median 2.8 years). Slips and falls accounted for 82.3% (168/204) of mechanisms of injuries. Lacerations, the most common injury type, accounted for 66.7% (136/204) of cases. The most frequent anatomic location of injury was the head or face (68.1%, 139/204). Adult supervision was present during 84.8% (67/79) of the injuries among children younger than 5 years. Parents changed the bathing environment after the patients’ injury in 82.3% (65/79) of cases. Injuries due to slips and falls are the most common type of childhood bathtub-related injury. Increased supervision alone will not be sufficient to prevent these injuries, given that adult supervision is already present in most cases. These injuries are most effectively prevented by passive methods, such as providing an effective slip-resistant bathtub surface. The large number of bathtub-related injuries associated with slips and falls argues for exploring a higher coefficient of friction standard for bathtubs, which may lead to fewer injuries.

Clinical Pediatrics, Vol. 44, No. 4, 311-318 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/000992280504400405


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