12,000 Children Choke on Food Each Year, Study Finds

Each year about 12,000 children in the U.S., about 34 children per day, are treated for nonfatal food-related choking, a new study found. Hard candies topped the list of high-risk food for choking among children, researchers said.

Other food that increased choking risk included various types of candies, meat and bones. Previous researches showed that every five days a child in the U.S. dies choking on food. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) had earlier urged certain eatables such as marshmallows and candies to get warning labels, informing consumers about their choking hazards.

"Other high-risk foods, such as hot dogs, seeds and nuts, were more likely to require hospitalizations," said Gary Smith, MD, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy, according to Newswise. "These foods have high-risk characteristics that make them more likely to block a child's airway or make them more difficult to chew, which can lead to more serious choking events."

The present study was conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data for the study came from medical records of children who had choked on food between 2001 and 2009.  All the children were below age 14.

The scientists found that about 12,000 children choked on a food-item each year in the U.S. They also found that choking rates decreased with age and that over 60 percent of the incidents were reported in children below four years of age.

Hard candy topped the list of food items related with choking episodes; about 15 percent of the choking events in young children were due to hard candy, followed by other types of candy (13 percent).

Although there are many regulations in the U.S. to check the incidence of non-food related choking, surprisingly, there are only few choking related regulations, experts explained.

"Implementing improved monitoring of food-related choking incidents, placing warning labels on foods that pose a high choking risk, changing the design of foods consumed by children to reduce the risk of choking, and developing public awareness campaigns to educate parents about the danger of food-related choking among children could all help reduce the number of choking episodes in the United States," Dr. Smith added.

The study is published in the journal Pediatrics.

University of Michigan has many tips how to avoid choking in children. Refer to this site to learn more about what to do when a child chokes on food.