COLUMBUS, OH – An average of nearly 15,000 children younger than 18 visited emergency rooms annually for injuries received from furniture tip-overs between 1990 and 2007, according to a study by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

According to the study, most furniture tip-over-related injuries occurred among children younger than 7 years of age and resulted from TVs tipping over. More than one-quarter of the injuries occurred when children pulled over or climbed on furniture.

Children between 13 and 17 years of age were more likely to suffer injuries from desks, cabinets or bookshelves tipping over.

“There was more than a 40 percent increase in the number of injuries during the study period and the injury rate also significantly increased during these years,” said study senior author Gary Smith, MD, DRPH, director of the research group at Nationwide Children's Hospital. “This trend demonstrates the inadequacy of current prevention strategies and underscores the need for increased prevention efforts.

For more information about the study, click here.