Medically attended injuries among young children: observations in a suburban area. 1964

A control study of the effect of public health education on the rate of accidental injuries among children under 7 years of age in a newly developing suburban area provided an opportunity to gain an insight into the nature and extent of the accident problem itself during a one year baseline period preceding the educational phase of the study. An accident was arbitrarily defined as any actual or presumed trauma following an incident for which direct medical or dental attention was obtained. Data were gathered through regular visits of data collectors to physicians, dentists, and hospitals in the area. An annual accident rate of 124 per 1000 children under 7 years of age was found. Two or more accident occurred to 10% of the children. The highest injury rate by age (179 per 1000 children) was found among 2 year old children, with the rate amount 2 year old boys 75% higher than any other age-sex group. The possible relationships of suburban living to the type and location of accidents by age and sex and to the variation in accidents by day of week are also presented.