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 Childhood Injuries

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"Although childhood injuries occur frequently and their epidemiology has been described, studies that focus on the very young are uncommon," write the authors of an article published in the April 2003 issue of Pediatrics Electronic Pages. The purpose of this study was to describe the causes and natures of infant injuries, and to identify common patterns in their occurrence over a 7-year period. Through their research, the authors found that: * The most common injuries were head injuries, followed by superficial injuries, open wounds, fractures/dislocations, burns, poisonings, and other/unspecified. * There was variation between age groups in terms of the most frequent causes of injury, although head and superficial injuries predominated. Compared with younger age groups, open wounds, burns, and poisonings were more common among infants ages 9-11 months. * Falls accounted for the majority of injuries. Where identified, the most common mechanisms of falls were falls from furniture, falls from car seats, falls down stairs with or without an infant walker, and falls caused by being dropped by an older person. The authors point out that most infant injuries occur because a responsible person has failed to anticipate a hazard, remove a hazard, or that responsible person has experienced short lapse of attention. They conclude that "given that it is more difficult to modify circumstances and adult behaviors, prevention efforts should be focused on environmental modifications . . . [i.e.,] placing limits on infant mobility through the use of passive safety devices, and similarly limiting contact between physical hazards and children via other forms of environmental vigilance."