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Accidents among children under five years old: a general practice based study in north Staffordshire
1Department of General Practice, University of Birmingham.
Insights
Accidental injuries in children under five are common, peaking in the second year of life. While falls at home are frequent, safety equipment and parental knowledge alone may not prevent child accidents.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Injury Prevention
Background:
- Accidental injuries are a significant concern for children under five.
- Understanding risk factors is crucial for effective prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence, causes, and circumstances of accidental injuries in young children.
- To compare risk factors, including family and social elements, between injured children and a control group.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of children under five presenting with accidents over 12 months.
- Questionnaires completed by parents within two weeks of the accident.
- Matched case-control analysis comparing injured children with non-injured peers.
Main Results:
- 100 children experienced 120 accidents; peak incidence in the second year of life.
- Falls were the most common cause (56%), with most accidents occurring at home (79%) between 9 AM and 9 PM.
- Children with accidents had younger mothers and siblings with previous accidents; socioeconomic factors and safety awareness showed no significant difference.
Conclusions:
- Younger maternal age and sibling history of accidents are potential risk factors.
- The study questions the sole effectiveness of safety equipment and knowledge in preventing child accidents.
Abstract:
Information about accidental injury among children under five years old was obtained prospectively by studying children registered with one general practice (total list size 9425) who presented at the surgery and/or the accident and emergency department at the North Staffordshire Hospital Centre during a 12 month period. Details were obtained from answers to a questionnaire sent to parents within two weeks of a child's accident. Of 511 children under five years of age, 100 children (57 boys, 43 girls) had 120 accidents. The maximum number of accidents occurred in the second year of life. Parents took their children directly to the casualty department in 105 (85%) accidents. Eighty six children had only one accident and four children required hospital admission. The most common cause of injury was a fall (56%). The majority of accidents happened at home (79%), and occurred between 09.00 hours and 21.00 hours (88%). Children identified in the study following an accident were matched with other children in the practice of the same age and sex who had not had an accident. Information about the families and social factors were compared. Children who had accidents had younger mothers and were more likely to have a sibling who had had an accident in the previous year. Socioeconomic factors were not significantly different between the cases and the controls. Similar numbers of families in the study and control groups had items of safety equipment and had good awareness and knowledge of accident prevention. The results of this study cast doubt on the value of safety equipment and knowledge alone in child accident prevention.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)