Child Development – University of Michigan Survey Finds Consumer Alerts Aren't Enough to Protect Kids

Posted on 03.12.2008

By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist

child health, parenting Much of the news headlines these days are either sad stories, hazards in children’s products, or news about a celebrity’s antics. Perhaps you have decided you would rather not watch the news or read the paper, but what if there was important information? Would you feel you would be sufficiently notified of something that could potentially harm your child lurking your household? If you answered no, you are not alone. A new survey found that 1 in 7 parents were unaware of recent child safety advisories.

This year has been laden with toy recalls, advisories for cold medications, and vaccine recalls. Unfortunately, recalls only happened after these products have made their way from the shelves into our homes. The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health found that the majority of Americans would like the government to step up and ensure products are safe before they hit the shelves.

The poll also revealed that current proposed legislation in both individual states and in Congress would be met with open arms, as 90% of the people surveyed are in favor of stricter consumer product safety laws. The survey, conducted in December 2007 and January 2008, was administered to over 2, 000 adults who are part of Knowledge Network’s online Knowledge Panel. Three quarters of the households sampled had children.

It wasn’t just lead tainted toys that were discussed in the poll. In regards to the recent consumer alert about over the counter cold and cough medicines being inappropriate for use in children under 2, 14% of parents said they were unaware of the alert despite media efforts. Those who did hear the news took action as 54% said they took caution when purchasing future over the counter meds, 39% removed the products from their homes, and 11% contacted a health care professional.

Other highlights of the poll include:

94% of those surveyed are in favor of increased penalties for manufacturers who are in violation of US safety standards
93% support laws that would require FDA standard certifications for producers and importers
94% are in favor of laws requiring of country of origin labeling on drugs, foods, and devices

Overall, any legislation that would increase the safety of our children would be met with overwhelming support by Americans. The majority of parents surveyed feel that the government is simply not doing to enough to ensure safe medications and products for US children. Hopefully, the next news report on children’s products will be a great deal more positive.