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Patterns of Injury in Hospitalised One-Year-Old Children: Analysis by Trimester of Age Using Coded Data and Textual
Debbie Scott1, Victor Siskind2
1Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia. debbie.scott@aifs.gov.au.
Insights
Unintentional injuries in toddlers aged 1-2 years vary by developmental stage. Understanding these injury patterns, like falls and burns, can guide targeted prevention strategies for child safety.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Injury Prevention
Background:
- The second year of life is characterized by significant developmental changes.
- Understanding unintentional injury patterns in toddlers is crucial for effective prevention.
- Developmental stages influence a child's risk of specific injuries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the pattern of unintentional injuries in one-year-old children in three-month age bands.
- To identify injury risks associated with developmental stages in toddlers.
- To inform proactive injury prevention strategies for young children.
Main Methods:
- Utilized injury surveillance data from children hospitalized for unintentional injuries in Queensland, Australia (2002-2012).
- Analyzed injury patterns across three-month age bands within the second year of life.
- Categorized injuries including falls, burns, scalds, contact injuries, and poisonings.
Main Results:
- Falls were the most frequent injury, followed by burns, scalds, contact injuries, and poisonings.
- Burns and scalds decreased with age, while medication poisonings increased.
- Falls from play equipment and contact injuries rose, whereas falls down stairs and finger-pinching injuries decreased.
- Animal and transport-related injuries became more common; immersions and breathing threats decreased.
Conclusions:
- The pattern of unintentional injuries in toddlers is dynamic and linked to increasing mobility and boldness.
- Preventive measures must align with children's developmental stages.
- Strategies should include parent education and consideration of supervision lapses and potential intentional injuries.
Abstract:
The second year of life is a time of rapid developmental changes. This paper aims to describe the pattern of unintentional injuries to one-year old children in three-month age bands to better understand the risks associated with developmental stages and, therefore, identify opportunities for proactive prevention. Injury surveillance data were used to identify children admitted to hospital in Queensland, Australia for an unintentional injury from 2002-2012. Falls were the most common injury, followed by burns and scalds, contact injuries and poisonings. Falls and contact injuries remained roughly constant by age, burns and scalds decreased and poisonings (by medications) increased. Animal- and transport-related injuries also became more common, immersions and other threats to breathing less common. Within the falls and contact categories falls from play equipment and injuries due to contact with persons increased, while falls down stairs and catching fingers in doors decreased. The pattern of injuries varies over the second year of life and is clearly linked to the child's increasing mobility and boldness. Preventive measures for young children need to be designed-and evaluated-with their developmental stage in mind, using a variety of strategies, including opportunistic, developmentally specific education of parents; and practitioners should also consider potential for lapses in supervision and possible intentional injury in all injury assessments.
