Object-related aspiration deaths in U.S. children declined 75% over 50 years, aided in part by policy changes to address choking hazards, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.

“Over 20,000 children died preventable deaths in our study period from choking on objects,” John D. Cramer, MD, assistant professor in the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Wayne State University School of Medicine, told Infectious Diseases in Children. “We believe that several policy changes over the last 50 years have helped to decrease these preventable deaths to one-quarter of previous rates.”