Preventing Preventing Childhood InjuryChildhood Injury

Your name, etc. Your name, etc.

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Our injury Our injury burdenburden

Deaths

Emergency admissions

Attendances at emergency

departments

Minor injuries treated at Health Centres and GP surgeries or at home

ReferencesInjury pyramid: BMA (2001) Injury Prevention Very minor (often untreated) injuries

Low numbers

High numbers

High severity

Lower severity

“Injuries do not occur by chance. They are largelypreventable, non-random events, and not “accidents”.

Certain groups of people with certain characteristics are more likely to be injured. By studying how injuriesvary within a population, we can begin to gain an

understanding of the factors that lead to injury, and how the risk of injury may be reduced”.

Injury Prevention, British Medical Association, 2001

‘Accidents’ waiting to happen

‘Accidents’ waiting to happen

‘Accidents’ waiting to happen

“....preventable...not “accidents”

• Four-year-old dies after a tragic accident“(Exodus Tyson’s) seven-year-old brother found her hanging from a cord which was dangling from a treadmill in their home in Phoenix, Arizona”.

• Brothers meet tragic end on Snowdon“They died after slipping and falling up to 300m from an accident blackspot at a craggy area on the mountain's west side, Clogwyn Coch, at the weekend”.

• Ealing boy dies after air rifle tragedyHe died in a “tragic accident”, after being left playing with other 10 year olds and a loaded air rifle.

• Tragic accident as farmer crushed by sheepdog in tractor“Harry Emslie, 67, left the border collie in the cab of a telescopic loader with the engine still running - and the handbrake off”.

No cause?

Unexpected?

“Accident: an unforeseen event or one without an apparent cause” Collins English Dictionary

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What caused these injuries?

Were they predictable?

What would have prevented them?

“...certain groups of people are more likely to be injured....”

Children of poor families have more injuries

0

20

40

60

80

100

1 2 3n 3m 4 5

1979-1983

1989-1992

Injury death rates in children 0-15 by social class.

(BMA, 2001.)

Social Class 1 (Richer)........Social Class 5 (Poorer)

“...certain groups of people...”

Children... • of single parents

• of alcohol and drug users

• living in rented accommodation

• of unemployed parents

.....are at higher risk of injury.

Mapping injury rate shows link to deprivation in Bristol

Families and neighbourhoods

Injury risk is a factor of both neighbourhood characteristics and

domestic circumstances

“.....understanding the factors that lead to injury”

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Describe the family with the highest risk of serious childhood injury.

List the factors you would expect to see in the worst case scenario,

considering the family, their home, neighbourhood and the public

services they use.

“...reducing risk”. Working with partners.

Services• Retailers • Daycare providers• Trading standards • Fire and Rescue Services • Housing providers• Health services• A multitude of other local authority services

Environment / neighbourhood• Road Safety• Economic opportunity • Safe play areas

Injury Prevention is a partnership activity

“...reducing risk”. Working with families.

Improve Supervision/reduce social isolation

“Childproofing” - Home improvements

Raise Awareness of injury hazards

Routines and rules

(and reminders and repetition!)

Most frequent childhood (under 5’s) injuries

• Falls

• Accidental poisoning

(Including eating small objects)

• Burns and scalds

Burns and scalds – Causes

1. Hot drinks

2. Hot food

3. Bathwater

4. Hair straighteners / irons

Hot water burns like fire

Burns and Scalds - Prevention

• Raise awarenessNo. 1 cause = Hot drinks.

• Create routines and rulesKeep children and hot drinks apart.

• ChildproofingUse heat resistant bags for hair straighteners. Most burns and scalds happen in the kitchen. Use a playpen in kitchens, or keep children out.

Accidental Poisoning - Causes

1. Common painkillers and cold remedies are the single biggest cause of serious childhood poisoning.

2. Things not put away in their safe place.

3. Batteries, coins, small toys, pins, keys and other small objects are left where small children can reach them.

Accidental Poisoning - Prevention

Safe storage, straight away

Accidental Poisoning - Prevention

• Tidy up.

• Lock away above head height. (Treat all pills, medicines, liquid painkillers and cold remedies like prescription medicines).

• Straight away. Health visitors in Nottingham found poisoning happens when things are left out because they are still in use, or “will be put away later”).

Home Fire Safety

Avon Fire and Rescue

– Free Home Fire Safety Checks

Tel: 0117 9262061

Falls in under 5’s - Causes

• Stairs and steps

• Falling from furniture (sofas)

• Falling from beds when having nappies changed

• Baby walkers

• Climbing routes

Falls in under 5’s - Prevention

• Childproofing

Use stair gates, break climbing routes by moving furniture

• Rules

No (stair) climbing without a parent

• Supervision

Use the children’s centre parents and toddler groups or friends - so you can take a break!

Low number / high profile injuries

• Firework injuries – Follow the Firework Code

• Blind cord strangulation – Keep cords, chains, and tapes and similar out of the reach of children.

• Drowning – Never leave babies alone in the bathroom. Teach children to swim.

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What can we do to reduce injury?

What injury will you focus on? Who will you target? Where? How will you reach the target

group? What will you do? How will you monitor / evaluate?

Further information

Avonsafe www.tinyurl.com\avonsafe

RoSPAwww.rospa.com

Child Accident Prevention Trustwww.capt.org.uk