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[Home accidents among small children and preventive potential]
1Avdeling for samfunnsmedisin Statens institutt for folkehelse Postboks 4404 Torshov 0403 Oslo. ingri.myklestad@folkehelsa.no
Background:
The incidence of childhood home injuries is currently high. A portion of these injuries could be prevented by simple safety precautions.
Material And Method:
This study is based on data from the Norwegian National Injury Sample Register. We used this register to estimate the frequency of selected product-related injuries among Norwegian children aged two to three. We also used data from another study of home safety precautions taken by mothers of two-year olds.
Results:
The most frequently reported injuries were falls from staircases and falls in bathrooms. The most severe were injuries related to stairs, medical drugs, and hazardous substances. The survey showed that a significant portion of parents do not take precautions to reduce the risk of injuries related to staircases, bathroom floor, electric cooker and poisoning with medical drugs.
Interpretation:
There seems to be a potential for improved use of safety measures against product-related childhood injuries. Previous studies have shown that the interventions that are most effective in changing risk behaviour are a combination of legislation, educational campaigns, information to parents on home hazard reduction, and free supply of security equipment.