Attitudes to and use of baby walkers in Dublin.

Laffoy, Marie; Fitzpatrick, Patricia; Jordan, Melanie; Dowdall, D.

doi:10.1136/ip.1.2.109

Cited by 23 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…This was similar to the findings of a study in the United States [15]. Studies in the United Kingdom and Dublin showed that the rate of the use of walker was around 50% [9,21]. Some caregivers used walkers because they felt that walkers were good for their infants [9].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Unintentional injury and its prevention in infant: knowledge and self-reported practices of main caregivers

2014

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BackgroundUnintentional injuries are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in infants. Prevention of unintentional injuries has been shown to be effective with education. Understanding the level of knowledge and practices of caregivers in infant safety would be useful to identify gaps for improvement.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban government health clinic in Malaysia among main caregivers of infants aged 11 to 15 months. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured self-designed questionnaire. Responses to the items were categorised by the percentage of correct answers: poor (<50%), moderate (50% – 70%) and good (>70%).ResultsA total of 403 caregivers participated in the study. Of the 21 items in the questionnaire on knowledge, 19 had good-to-moderate responses and two had poor responses. The two items on knowledge with poor responses were on the use of infant walkers (26.8%) and allowing infants on motorcycles as pillion riders (27.3%). Self-reported practice of infant safety was poor. None of the participants followed all 19 safety practices measured. Eight (42.1%) items on self-reported practices had poor responses. The worst three of these were on the use of baby cots (16.4%), avoiding the use of infant walkers (23.8%) and putting infants to sleep in the supine position (25.6%). Better knowledge was associated with self-reported safety practices in infants (p < 0.05). However, knowledge did not correspond to correct practice, particularly on the use of baby cots, infant walkers and sarong cradles.ConclusionMain caregivers’ knowledge on infant safety was good but self-reported practice was poor. Further research in the future is required to identify interventions that target these potentially harmful practices.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Unintentional injury and its prevention in infant: knowledge and self-reported practices of main caregivers

2014

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“…One third of parents in one study used walkers because they believed that walkers would keep their infants safe 10,11 . The majority of parents perceived the walker as being beneficial 12 . Bar‐on et al reported that 78% of the caregivers believed that the walker was beneficial and believed that walker use accelerated development of independent walking 4 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing caregiver's use of an infant walker

Tan

Lim

2003

Asia Pac Fam Med

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Aim : Infant walkers are widely used in Singapore despite reports of injuries associated with their use. This study of 445 principal caregivers at two primary care polyclinics aimed to determine their knowledge and practice of use of walkers for their children/wards. Methods : This was a prospective descriptive study, carried out in two polyclinics in Singapore. Care‐givers of children brought to the clinic at 4–6 months age for routine immunizations were recruited. A questionnaire was administered which had been previously piloted. A follow up survey was conducted at the next immunization session. Results : The study found 66.7% of young infants caregivers were unaware of walker related injury and only 37.5% of them were aware of alternatives to walkers. In addition, 48.3% thought that the walker helped the child to walk faster than the normal age of child development, although current evidence suggested that a walker could delay the walking milestone. The study also found 20.1% of caregivers who plan or have already started their child/ward on a walker would take precautions. Conclusions : Factors that seemed to influence caregivers use of walkers include parental education, total household income, housing type, walker availability and the perception that walkers promote walking. Awareness of walker‐related hazards, alternatives to walkers, and the total number of children in the household did not have a significant impact on the caregivers’ decision to use the walker. There were 24 self‐reported cases of walker‐related injuries representing 7.7% (n = 311). The main types of injuries included toppling over flat ground (5.5%) and falling over stairs/steps (1.9%). 2003 Blackwell Publishing Asia and Wonca

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“…2001) and 77% (Bar‐on et al. 1998) of families had used a walker with their children in the United States of America (USA), 50% in Nottingham, United Kingdom (UK) (Kendrick & Marsh 1998), 55% in Dublin, Ireland (Laffoy et al. 1995) and 90% in Singapore (Thein et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A baby walker is a seat supported in a frame that has wheels, and surveys from several countries indicate their use is common. Those published from 1995 onwards indicate that between 46% (DiLillo et al 2001) and 77% (Bar-on et al 1998) of families had used a walker with their children in the United States of America (USA), 50% in Nottingham, United Kingdom (UK) (Kendrick & Marsh 1998), 55% in Dublin, Ireland (Laffoy et al 1995) and 90% in Singapore (Thein et al 1997). Walker-associated accidents are common, having been reported by 12-50% of parents using them (Kavanagh & Banco 1982, Stoffman et al 1984, Mayr et al 1994, Laffoy et al 1995, Thein et al 1997.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Those published from 1995 onwards indicate that between 46% (DiLillo et al 2001) and 77% (Bar-on et al 1998) of families had used a walker with their children in the United States of America (USA), 50% in Nottingham, United Kingdom (UK) (Kendrick & Marsh 1998), 55% in Dublin, Ireland (Laffoy et al 1995) and 90% in Singapore (Thein et al 1997). Walker-associated accidents are common, having been reported by 12-50% of parents using them (Kavanagh & Banco 1982, Stoffman et al 1984, Mayr et al 1994, Laffoy et al 1995, Thein et al 1997. Prospective studies have found accident and emergency department attendance rates for walker-related injury amongst infants of between 3AE5 and 9 per 1000 person years (including both users and non-users of baby walkers as the denominator) (Chiaviello et al 1994, Petridou et al 1996.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Baby walkers – health visitors’ current practice, attitudes and knowledge

Kendrick

Illingworth

Hapgood

et al. 2003

Journal of Advanced Nursing

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Health visitor advice regarding walkers needs to be given earlier in the postnatal period than is currently common practice, and they need more knowledge about walker use and related injuries. Education about baby walkers needs to be incorporated into undergraduate and in-service education, which may need to include the development of skills in exploring reasons why parents use walkers and in negotiating alternatives to their use. The provision of audio-visual aids for discussing walkers might also be helpful.

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Attitudes to and use of baby walkers in Dublin.

Cited by 23 publications

References 9 publications

Unintentional injury and its prevention in infant: knowledge and self-reported practices of main caregivers

Unintentional injury and its prevention in infant: knowledge and self-reported practices of main caregivers

Factors influencing caregiver's use of an infant walker

Baby walkers – health visitors’ current practice, attitudes and knowledge

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