Press Releases

Smoke Alarms Using Mother’s Voice Wake Children Better than High-Pitch Tone Alarms
Oct 25, 2018

Smoke Alarms Using Mother’s Voice Wake Children Better than High-Pitch Tone Alarms

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – When residential fires happen at night while people are sleeping, deaths are more likely to occur. Smoke alarms are important for preventing these deaths, yet many young children don’t wake up to traditional high-pitch tone alarms.

Sep 17, 2018

Injuries Associated with Infant Walkers Sending Kids to the Emergency Department

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Although infant walkers provide no benefit to children and pose significant injury risk, many are still being used in US homes.

Aug 20, 2018

Nearly 2 in 5 Teen Drivers Text While Driving

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Cellphone use while driving has been estimated to increase crash risk by 2-9 times and texting while driving may be especially risky because it involves three types of driver distraction: visual (eyes off the road), manual (hands off the wheel), and cognitive (attention

Bicycle-related Injuries Send 25 Children to Emergency Departments Every Hour
Jun 25, 2018

Bicycle-related Injuries Send 25 Children to Emergency Departments Every Hour

A new study conducted by researchers in the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, published online in Accident Analysis & Prevention, found that from January 2006 through December 2015, more than 2.2 million children age 5-17 years were treated in US hospital emergency departments for bicycle-related injuries. This averages 608 cases per day or 25 every hour.

A Medication Used to Treat Opioid Dependence Can Cause Serious Health Consequences for Exposed Children
Jun 25, 2018

A Medication Used to Treat Opioid Dependence Can Cause Serious Health Consequences for Exposed Children

A new study published online today by Pediatrics and conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that from January 2007 through December 2016 there were more than 11,000 calls to US Poison Centers for pediatric exposures to buprenorphine – a prescription opioid medication used to treat opioid use disorder.

May 21, 2018

U.S. Poison Control Centers Receive 29 Calls Per Day About Children Exposed to ADHD Medications

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – A new study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that there were more than 156,000 calls to US Poison Control Centers regarding exposures to attention-deficit hyperactivity

Children Hospitalized for Injuries Have Increased Mental Health Needs
May 07, 2018

Children Hospitalized for Injuries Have Increased Mental Health Needs

A study, published in The Journal of Pediatrics, looked at children ages 0-18 years who were hospitalized for unintentional injuries from June 2005 through May 2015. Researchers found that children hospitalized for an injury had on average a 63% increase in mental health diagnoses and a 155% increase in medications prescribed to treat a mental illness.

Apr 23, 2018

Liquid Nicotine Used in e-Cigarettes Still a Danger to Children Despite Recent Decline in Exposures

A new study published online today by Pediatrics and conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that there were more than 8,200 calls to US poison centers regarding exposures to liquid nicotine and e-cigarettes among children younger than 6 years of age from January 2012 through April 2017, averaging 129 calls each month or more than 4 a day.

Feb 21, 2018

Laws Banning Hand-Held Cellphone Calls More Effective than Texting Bans for Teen Drivers

A new study led by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital used data from a national survey to examine the effectiveness of state-level cellphone laws in decreasing teens’ use of cellphones while driving.

Jan 08, 2018

New Study Finds Large Increase in Non-Powder Gun-Related Eye Injuries

A new study conducted by researchers in the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital investigated sports- and recreation-related eye injuries during a 23-year period and found a slight decrease in eye injuries overall; however, the rate