foodconsumer.org: Hot dogs pose high choking risk

Hot dogs pose high choking risk
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admin on 02/23/2010 12:24:00
 
What is new?
The American Academy of Pediatrics or AAP on Feb 22 issued a policy report
"Prevention of Choking Among Children" saying lawmakers, regulators, parents,
care providers, and food processors need to take measures to prevent choking on
food.
The risk of food related choking
Choking is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children
particularly those aged 3 years or younger.  The report cites the risk of
choking on toys has been well addressed, but there is not much attention paid to
the risk of choking on food.  Choking on food can be as lethal as toys.
Choking on food causes about 60 to 80 children each year in the United States
and more than 10,000 emergency room visits annually.   And hot dogs are
responsible for 17 percent of food related asphyxiations among children aged 10
and younger, according to the report.
Foods that pose high risk of choking
Hot dogs are the food most commonly resulting in fatal choking among children
because they are cylindrical, air-way sized and compressible. Other risky foods
include hard candy, peanuts/nuts, seeds, whole grapes, raw carrots, apples,
popcorn, chunks of peanut butter, marshmallows, chewing gum and sausages.
Who are at risk?
Children younger than four years and those with chewing and swallowing disorders
are at highest risk of food related choking.
Children with health conditions including neuromuscular disorders, developmental
delay,traumatic brain injury, and others are at higher risk of swallowing
disorders which predispose them to choking risk.
children's behaviours also affect their risk of choking on food. High risk
behaviours include eating while walking, running, talking, laughing and eating
quickly. Playing while eating also puts a child at high risk.
How to prevent choking on food
The report says regulatory actions that are needed to prevent choking on food
include surveillance, cautionary food labeling, recalls when necessary, and
public education.
The policy report scheduled to appear in the March issue of the journal
Pediatrics offers a number of recommendations on choking prevention including
using warning labels on food that poses a high choking risk, recalling food
products that pose a significant choking hazard, establishing a Nationwide food
related choking incident surveillance and reporting system, designing or
redesigning foods to reduce the choking risk and teaching teachers, parents, and
child care providers CPR and choking first aid.
By Jimmy Downs
Source:http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/peds.2009-2862v1
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