World

Instant noodles account for a third of burns in children: study

According to a study published by researchers at the University of Chicago, instant noodles account for nearly a third of burns in children.

The study, published in the journal “Burs,” by a team of researchers at the university’s burn center, examined data regarding all hospitalized pediatric patients with hot-liquid burn injuries. from 2010 to 2020.

Out of a total of 790 cases of scalds in children, 31% were caused by instant noodles.

“It seemed like every other child we were consulted for burns had instant noodles injuries, so we wanted to drill down into the data to see what the trends really were,” said lead author Sebastian Vrouwe , assistant professor of surgery at the College of Medicine, said. University of Chicago School of Medicine, in a press release. “Our hope is to develop the foundation for a future burn prevention program, because essentially all burns in children are preventable in some way.”

Vrouwe said he and his team did not expect instant noodles to cause such severe burns in children.

“We were amazed at the severity of the problem, which confirms that focused effort and awareness on these types of burns can have a significant impact on the communities in which our burn center is located. service,” he said in the statement.

Research also shows that some children are more likely to get burned from eating instant noodles than others. On average, patients with instant noodle burns were more likely to be Black and to come from ZIP codes with a lower mean childhood chance index score.

Researchers have linked this trend to the fact that instant noodles are a cheap meal option. “Global efforts to address child poverty are likely to have positive secondary effects on burn prevention,” the researchers wrote.

Children with instant noodles burns were also slightly older than children with other burn injuries, with an average age of 5.4 years. The researchers describe it as “the age at which children can attempt to prepare instant noodles, but are not yet old enough to do so safely.” The children were also more likely to be unsupervised at the time of injury.

In the press release, Vrouwe explained adult supervision is an essential precaution to reduce burns from instant noodles and other foods.

“Direct caregiver supervision is an important step in burn prevention,” he said. “The amount of heat contained in these noodles can easily cause second- and third-degree burns to anyone, but young children are particularly vulnerable due to their relatively smaller bodies and thinner skin.”

Kyran Quinlan, a pediatrician who has conducted research on burn injuries in children, told CNN via email that “it’s amazing how common this mechanism of childhood burns is.”

Quinlan, who did not contribute to the study, noted that it only included patients admitted to the University of Chicago’s Burn Center, which primarily serves low-income communities south of Chicago. So while the findings may not be generalizable to the rest of the country, they “tell a fairly common story in inner-city areas across the country,” he said.

Like Vrouwe, Quinlan also stressed the importance of supervising young children who use the microwave to prepare instant noodles or other foods.

“Young children cannot and should not use microwaves without supervision,” he said. He added that the study could “help parents realize that these types of burns happen all the time.”

“Combustion units around the country regularly see this type of precise combustion mechanism,” he points out.

Quinlan has advocated for “child-proof” doors on microwave ovens, which he says are a measure to prevent young children from getting burned. He said microwave ovens will be widely available in the US starting in March.

“We need to continue to learn about what protects young children from these severe and often disfiguring burns,” he said.



Source by [author_name]

news7h

News7h: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button
Immediate Peak