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Two Decades of Experience

Gregory B. Rodgers, PhD

JAMA. 1996;275(21):1661-1665.

Abstract
Objective.
—To evaluate the effectiveness of child-resistant packaging in reducing the mortality rate for children younger than 5 years from the unintentional ingestion of oral prescription drugs.

Design.
—Annual mortality rates for children younger than 5 years associated with the unintentional ingestion of oral prescription drugs are constructed for 1964 through 1992. The effect of child-resistant packaging on the child mortality rate during the postintervention period (1974 through 1992) is evaluated with a multivariate time series regression model. The analysis controls for changes in the consumption of oral prescription drugs over time and for long-term safety trends.

Setting.
—United States.

Subjects.
—Children younger than 5 years.

Main Outcome Measure.
—Estimated reductions in the child mortality rate associated with the use of child-resistant packaging.

Results.
—After controlling for covariates, the use of child-resistant packaging was associated with an annual reduction in the oral prescription drug—related mortality rate of 1.40 (95% confidence interval, 0.85-1.95) deaths per million children younger than 5 years. This suggests a reduction of about 460 child deaths from 1974, the year oral prescription drugs became subject to child-resistant packaging requirements, through 1992—a mortality rate reduction of about 45% from levels projected without the child-resistant requirements.

Conclusion.
—Child-resistant packaging reduces child mortality from the unintentional ingestion of oral prescription drugs.

(JAMA. 1996;275:1661-1665)

Author Affiliations
From the Directorate for Economic Analysis, US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC.

Footnotes
The views are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission or other members of its staff. Because this article was written in the author's official capacity, it is in the public domain and may be freely copied.

Reprints: Gregory B. Rodgers, PhD, Directorate for Economic Analysis, US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207.

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