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Published on: February 2, 2017

Patterns of unintentional injury in childhood and their relation to socio-economic factors

G J Laing1, S Logan

  • 1King's Health Care, London, UK.

Public Health
|January 19, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Childhood unintentional injuries lead to frequent visits to Accident and Emergency Departments, with risk significantly higher in boys and socially deprived areas. Targeted prevention strategies are crucial for child safety.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Public Health
  • Injury Prevention

Background:

  • Childhood unintentional injuries are a significant public health concern, necessitating accurate data on incidence and risk factors.
  • Accident and Emergency (A&E) Departments serve as key points for identifying and managing childhood injuries.
  • Understanding the relationship between socio-economic factors and injury risk is vital for effective public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the incidence of childhood injuries requiring A&E attendance.
  • To classify the types of unintentional injuries and associated accident mechanisms.
  • To investigate the correlation between injury risk and socio-economic status.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective study utilizing A&E records over one year.
  • Inclusion criteria: children aged 0-14 years residing in the study area, treated for unintentional injury.
  • Data collection occurred every fifth day, capturing demographic and injury details.

Main Results:

  • 1147 children met the study criteria, with an annual A&E attendance rate of 138.2 per 1000 children.
  • Boys exhibited higher A&E attendance rates than girls across all age groups, especially for severe injuries.
  • Social deprivation, quantified by the Townsend score, was a strong predictor of injury risk, explaining 33% of inter-ward variance.

Conclusions:

  • Unintentional injuries result in substantial A&E utilization, though rates in this study were lower than UK averages.
  • A clear link exists between social disadvantage and increased risk of childhood injury.
  • Local data collection is effective for developing targeted child safety initiatives and setting public health priorities.
Abstract

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