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Updated: Dec 5, 2025
Design and Analysis for Fall Detection System Simplification
Published on: April 6, 2020
A national analysis of pediatric falls from a building
Robert J McLoughlin1, Max D Hazeltine1, Jonathan Durgin1
1Department of Surgery, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Ave N, Worcester, MA01655, United States.
Insights
Pediatric building falls are a significant cause of injury, particularly affecting young children and certain demographic groups. Prevention strategies targeting parents of toddlers and young children are crucial for public health.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatric Trauma
- Injury Prevention
Background:
- Falls are the leading cause of unintentional pediatric trauma in the U.S.
- Identifying risk factors for building falls can inform public health policy.
- Building falls disproportionately affect low-income communities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the characteristics of pediatric building falls.
- To identify demographic and socioeconomic risk factors associated with these injuries.
- To inform targeted injury prevention strategies.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of the Kids' Inpatient Database (2006, 2009, 2012).
- Identification of pediatric building fall cases using external cause of injury codes.
- Multivariable logistic regression to analyze patient characteristics and adjust for confounders.
Main Results:
- 2,294 hospitalizations for pediatric building falls were identified.
- Victims were predominantly male, in early childhood, and from the lowest income quartile.
- Black and Asian/Pacific Islander children, and toddlers/early childhood age groups, faced higher odds of falls; higher income quartile children were also more likely to fall.
Conclusions:
- Building falls represent a common U.S. injury for children under 12.
- Injury prevention efforts focused on parents of children aged 1-5 years can significantly impact public health.
- Further research into socioeconomic disparities in fall injuries is warranted.
Introduction:
Falls remain the leading cause of unintentional pediatric trauma in the United States. Identifying risk factors for pediatric building falls would influence public health policy. We hypothesized that building falls disproportionately affect low income communities.
Methods:
We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the Kids' Inpatient Database for years 2006, 2009, and 2012. We identified cases (age <12 years) of falls from a building using external cause of injury codes. Patient characteristics and injuries were analyzed using ICD-9 codes. National estimates were obtained using case weighting. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to adjust for confounders.
Results:
There were 2,294 hospitalizations nationally for pediatric falls from a building. The victims were predominately male, in early childhood, non-Hispanic White, in the lowest income quartile, resided in urban settings, and occurred during summer. The mean age was 3.76 years. Logistic regression revealed males were 33% more likely than females, and as compared to non-Hispanic White youth, Black (33%) and Asian or Pacific Islanders (65%) were more likely to experience a fall from a building. Toddlers and those in early childhood were at significantly increased odds than those younger than one year old. Children in the highest income quartile were 29% more likely to experience a building fall.
Conclusions:
Building falls are a common cause of injury in the U.S. for children under 12 years old. Injury prevention strategies focused on the parents of children aged 1-5 years has the potential to make a significant public health impact.
