Why more than 70 per cent of child poisoning cases involve medications

Researchers from Australia's, Monash University are investigating why more than 70 per cent of child poisoning cases involve medications - including those that should be in child-resistant packaging.

The Barriers to Child Poisoning Prevention project, which started last month, is also examining why children in regional areas are more at risk of poisoning than city youngsters.

Professor Joan Ozanne-Smith, chair of Injury Prevention at the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC), said poisoning was the second most likely reason, after falls, for children under five years old to be hospitalised for injury.

The national frequency of medically treated cases of poisoning in the under-fives is estimated to be 18,200 each year, and the rate of hospital admissions is more than 200 per 100,000 children.

Professor Ozanne-Smith said the introduction of child-resistant packaging in the 1970s and 1980s had led to significant improvement in preventing childhood poisoning in Australia and other countries.

"Although deaths are now rare, poisoning still remains a prime cause of hospitalisation in children under five," Professor Ozanne-Smith said. "Also, the rate of poisoning in this age group is increasing in Victoria, and we need to find out why."

Professor Ozanne-Smith said the study, funded by a Public Health Research Grant from the Department of Human Services, was also investigating the effectiveness of child-resistant packaging.

Previous studies have revealed that children under 30 months are surprisingly adept at opening 'child-resistant closures' using their teeth, she said.

The MUARC project will investigate 200 cases - half from rural areas - presenting to the Poisons Information Centre and emergency departments throughout Victoria. Parents or care-givers will be interviewed by telephone to determine patterns of access to poison and possible risk factors.

Fifty failed child-resistant containers will also be inspected.