Related Experiment Videos
Injuries and their relation to potential hazards in child day care
P Cummings1, F P Rivara, J Boase
1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
Insights
Child day care injury rates were studied, revealing few preventable injuries despite numerous physical hazards. Most medically attended injuries were minor, with no hospitalizations reported.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric injury epidemiology
- Childhood safety in care settings
- Environmental health and safety
Background:
- Child day care settings are common environments for young children.
- Understanding injury risks and hazards in day care is crucial for prevention.
- Previous research has indicated varying injury rates in childcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively determine the incidence rate of medically attended injuries in children attending day care.
- To identify potential hazards associated with these injuries in day care facilities.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study was conducted in licensed day care facilities in King County, Washington.
- Data were collected over a one-year period (July 1, 1992, to June 30, 1993).
- Day care sites were inspected for physical hazards, and injuries were recorded.
Main Results:
- An incidence rate of 1.9 medically attended injuries per 100,000 hours of day care attendance was observed.
- Injuries requiring sutures (39%) or casts/splints/slings (17%) were common, but no hospitalizations occurred.
- All inspected sites had correctable physical hazards, yet these had minimal relationship to injury risk.
Conclusions:
- The incidence of medically attended injuries in day care is comparable to other US studies.
- Most injuries were minor and not directly linked to identified physical hazards.
- Further investigation into injury prevention strategies beyond physical hazard correction may be warranted.
Objectives:
To prospectively determine the incidence rate of injuries that required medical attention among children in day care and to identify possible hazards related to these injuries.
Setting:
King County, Washington.
Methods:
Prospective cohort study of children in a sample of licensed day care facilities.
Results:
From 1 July 1992 to 30 June 1993, 53 medically attended injuries were reported by 133 day care sites; incidence rate 1.9 per 100,000 hours of day care attendance. The rate of injury in 91 small family day care homes was essentially the same as that in 42 larger day care centers; relative rate 1.0 (95% confidence interval 0.6 to 1.9). Injuries that required sutures accounted for 39% of the cases, while 17% required a cast, splint, or sling. No child was hospitalized. Sixty nine sites were inspected and all had potentially correctable physical hazards, with a median of 15 hazards per site (range 7 to 26). These potential hazards had little relationship to the risk of injury and a case-by-case review identified only two injuries that might have been prevented by a more energy absorbent playground surface.
Conclusions:
The incidence of medically attended injuries found in this study is consistent with other studies from the United States. Most injuries were minor and had little relation to physical hazards at day care locations.