(CNN) — Instant noodles account for nearly a third of childhood burn injuries, according to a study published by researchers at the University of Chicago.
The study, published in the journal “Burns” by a group of researchers from the university’s burn center, examined data on all pediatric patients admitted with scald injuries caused by hot liquids between 2010 and 2020.
Of the total 790 child scald injury cases, 31% were caused by instant noodles.
“Anecdotally, it seemed that all of the children we were asked about for burns were injured by instant noodles, so we wanted to dive into the data to see what the trend really was,” said lead author Sebastian Vrouwe, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine, in a news release. “Our hope is to develop the foundation for a future burn prevention program, since essentially all childhood burns are preventable in some way.”
Vrouwe said neither he nor his team expected instant noodles to be such a major cause of childhood burns.
“We were surprised by the magnitude of the problem, which confirmed that the effort and awareness of these types of burns could have a significant impact in the communities that come to our burn center,” he said in the statement.
The study also found that certain children were more prone to burns from instant noodles than others. On average, instant noodle burn patients were more likely to be black, and their ZIP codes indicated a lower average child opportunity ratio.
The researchers linked the trend to the fact that instant noodles are a low-cost food option. Because of the link, “it is highly likely that global efforts to address child poverty will have positive spillover effects on burn prevention,” the researchers wrote.
Children with instant noodle burns were also slightly older than children with other burn injuries, with an average age of 5.4 years. The researchers said that this was “the age at which children may attempt to prepare instant noodles, but are not old enough to do so safely.” It is also likely that the children were not supervised at the time of the injury.
In the press release, Vrouwe explained that adult supervision is an essential preventative measure to reduce burns from instant noodles and other foods.
“Direct caretaker 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 in 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 childhood burn injuries, told CNN via email that it was “amazing how common this infant scalding mechanism is.”
Quinlan, who did not contribute to the study, noted that he himself only included patients admitted to the University of Chicago Burn Center, which primarily serves a low-income community on Chicago’s South Side. 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 when they use the microwave to prepare instant noodles or other foods.
“Young children cannot and should not operate a microwave without supervision,” she said. She added that the study could “help parents realize that these types of scalds happen all the time.”
“Burn units across the country see this exact type of burn mechanism frequently,” he noted.
Quinlan has advocated for “childproof” microwave doors, a measure to prevent burns among children. Such microwaves will be widely available for sale in the US beginning in March, she said.
“We need to continue learning about what works to protect young children from these serious and often disfiguring scalds,” she said.
