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The silent epidemic of falls from buildings: analysis of risk factors
Lena Mayer1, Martin Meuli, Ulrich Lips
1Department of Intensive Care and Neonatology, University Children's Hospital, Zürich, 8032, Switzerland.
Insights
Young children are at high risk for falls from windows and balconies, often due to furniture placement and dangerous building designs. Prevention efforts should target these factors and consider immigrant families and lower socio-economic status.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Injury Prevention
Background:
- Falls from windows and balconies pose a significant risk to children's health.
- Understanding risk factors is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify potential risk factors associated with pediatric falls from windows and balconies.
- To inform and improve prevention measures for these types of accidents.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of children under 16 treated for head injuries/multiple trauma from building falls at a university children's hospital.
- Comparison with a control group of children with similar injuries from other accident types.
- Data collection included patient demographics, fall circumstances, and injury severity.
Main Results:
- 13% of pediatric head injury/trauma cases resulted from building falls.
- Most falls (87%) occurred from the third floor or lower, predominantly at home (68%).
- Risk factors identified include young age (0-5 years), immigrant family background, lower socio-economic status, furniture near windows/balconies, dangerous building design, and summer evenings.
Conclusions:
- Young children, particularly those from immigrant families and lower socio-economic backgrounds, are most vulnerable to falls from buildings.
- Inappropriate furniture placement and hazardous building constructions are significant contributing factors.
- Targeted prevention strategies focusing on these identified risk factors are recommended to reduce pediatric falls from windows and balconies.
Abstract:
This study wanted to search for potential risk factors associated with falls from windows and balconies in order to eventually improve prevention. All children under the age of 16 years suffering from head injuries/multiple trauma due to falls from windows or balconies treated over the last 7 years at the intensive care unit (ICU) of the University Children's Hospital Zürich were analysed retrospectively (group A). Fifty patients out of all children suffering from head injuries/multiple trauma due to other types of accidents in the same period were selected at random as controls (group B). Out of a total of 241 children with head injury and/or multiple trauma, 31 (13%) fell out of a building. Twenty-seven of these victims (87%) fell from the third floor or lower. Twenty-one of the falls (68%) occurred at home. Fifteen children (49%) climbed on a piece of furniture before falling. In almost 20% of the accidents dangerous balcony or house constructions led to the fall. Parents did not witness the fall, except for three cases (10%) with direct parental involvement (one mother jumped out with her child, two mothers threw their child out of the window). Two children (6%) attempted suicide. Children aged 0-5 years were predominantly represented (84%), and all six children who died were in this age group. There were significantly more patients with foreign nationalities and lower socio-professional categories in group A than in group B. In both groups, the accidents concerned the youngest child of the family in approximately 50% and happened mostly during summer evenings. There were no significant differences in injured systems and in injury severity between the two groups. This study identified young age, an immigrant family setting, low socio-professional category of the parents, dangerous house constructions, inappropriate furniture placement, and summertime evenings as risk factors for serious building falls in children. This information may foster focused prevention.
