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Saint Barnabas Department of Pediatrics Recognizes National Safe Kids Week LIVINGSTON, N.J. -- The week of May 3-10 has been designated as National SAFE KIDS Week. While the unintentional injury-related death rate among children ages 14 and under declined nearly 40 percent from 1987 to 2000, accidents remain the leading cause of death among this age group in the United States. In 2000, 5,686 children ages 14 and under died from accidents, with nearly 120,000 children permanently disabled. “These injuries have enormous emotional and social effects not only for the child and the family but also for on the entire community,” says Susan Margolin, M.D., Chief of General Pediatrics, part of The Department of Pediatrics at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. “It is valuable for parents and family members to learn more about how and where the majority of these accidents occur so prevention can take place.” In general, children are primarily at risk of accident-related death from: motor vehicle injuries (which include children as occupants, pedestrians and bicyclists); drowning; fire and burns; airway obstruction injury (including suffocation and choking); unintentional firearm injuries; falls; and poisoning. Accident Statistics Saint Barnabas Medical Center’s Department of Pediatrics and the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, the first and only national nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury, offer the following statistics about childhood accidents in the United States: Injury By Age · Injury rates vary with a child’s age, gender, race and socioeconomic status. Younger children, males and poor children suffer disproportionately. · Among children under age 1, airway obstruction is the leading cause of accident-related death, followed by motor vehicle occupant injury, drowning, and fire and burns. · Among children ages 1 to 4, drowning is the leading cause of accident-related death, followed by motor vehicle occupant injury, fire and burns, pedestrian injury, and airway obstruction. · Among children ages 5 to 9, motor vehicle occupant injury is the leading cause of accident-related death, followed by pedestrian injury, drowning, fire and burns, and bicycle injury. · Among children ages 10 to 14, motor vehicle occupant injury is the leading cause of accident-related death, followed by pedestrian injury, drowning, bicycle injury, and fire and burns. Where and When · An estimated 42 percent of all childhood injury deaths and 40 percent of all childhood injury-related emergency room visits occur between May and August. · The vast majority of accident-related deaths among children occur in the evening hours. · Among children ages 14 and under, it is estimated that 40 percent of deaths and 50 percent of nonfatal accident injuries occur in and around the home. Who Is At Risk · Accidents disproportionately affect poor children and result in more fatalities among these children than among children with greater economic resources. · Children ages 4 and under are at greater risk of accident-related death and disability and account for 48 percent of these deaths among children ages 14 and under. · Through virtually all ages, for all causes of injury, males are at greater risk of unintentional death and injury than females. This is primarily due to greater exposure to activities that result in injury and patterns of risk taking and rough play. · Children living in rural areas are at greater risk from accident-related death than children living in urban areas. Injuries in rural settings occur in remote, sparsely populated areas that may lack organized trauma care, resulting in prolonged response and transport times. Prevention Effectiveness · It is estimated that as many as 90 percent of unintentional injuries can be prevented. · A combination of education, environmental improvements, engineering modifications, enactment and enforcement of legislation and regulations, community empowerment and program evaluation are effective at reducing the incidence and severity of accident-related death and disability. · Every dollar spent on a child safety seat saves this country $32 in direct medical costs and other costs to society. · Every dollar spent on a bicycle helmet saves this country $30 in direct medical costs and other costs to society. · Every dollar spent on a smoke alarm can save $69 in fire-related costs. · Every dollar spent on poison control centers saves this country $7 in medical costs. For a referral to a Saint Barnabas Medical Center pediatrician, please call 1-888-SBMC-DOC. Date: April, 2003 [ top ] |
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