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Brief report: unintentional injury risk among children with sensory impairments
David C Schwebel1, Carl M Brezausek
1Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. schwebel@uab.edu
Insights
Children with vision or hearing impairments face higher injury risks, especially if they do not use prescribed aids. Early identification and intervention can prevent injuries in pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric injury prevention
- Sensory impairments in children
- Child health and safety
Background:
- Pediatric injuries stem from complex factors, including individual, interpersonal, and environmental influences.
- The role of children's perception and perceptual disabilities in injury risk is not well understood.
- Sensory impairments, such as vision and hearing deficits, may impact a child's awareness of environmental hazards.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between sensory impairments and injury risk in young children.
- To determine if the use of prescribed sensory aids modifies injury rates in children with vision or hearing deficits.
Main Methods:
- A national sample of 7391 five-year-old children from the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study was analyzed.
- Injury counts, defined as parent-reported injuries requiring professional medical treatment in the past year, were compared across three groups.
- Groups included children without sensory impairments, those with deficits using recommended aids, and those with deficits not using recommended aids.
Main Results:
- Children with sensory impairments (vision or hearing) exhibited higher injury counts compared to those without impairments.
- Children with sensory impairments who did not use prescribed sensory aids demonstrated the highest injury rates.
- The findings indicate a dose-response relationship between sensory deficits, aid utilization, and injury risk.
Conclusions:
- Children with vision and hearing impairments are at an elevated risk for injuries.
- Non-adherence to prescribed sensory aids exacerbates injury risk in pediatric populations.
- Healthcare professionals and educators should be aware of this increased risk to implement targeted injury prevention strategies for children with sensory impairments.
Objective:
Pediatric injuries result from a multifaceted process involving a range of individual, interpersonal, and environmental influences. One risk that remains poorly understood is the role of children's perception and perceptual disabilities.
Methods:
Injury counts (parent-report of injuries requiring professional medical treatment over the past year) in three groups of children were compared: those without vision or hearing sensory impairments, those with deficits who use eyeglasses or hearing aids, and those with deficits who do not use aids as recommended. A national sample of 7391 5-year-olds in the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study was studied.
Results:
Injury counts over the past year were higher among children with sensory impairments, and higher still among children with sensory impairments who did not use prescribed sensory aids.
Conclusions:
Awareness of increased injury risk among children with hearing and vision impairment could help professionals protect children from injury.
