Safety Month Series: Preventing Unintentional InjuriesJune 30, 2008 |
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 The prevention of unintentional injuries to children throughout L.A. County is one of the goals of First 5 LA's grant program, the Community Opportunities Fund. But what does unintentional injury mean, and why is it a focus? According to a recent report published by Safe Kids USA, unintentional injury continues to be the leading killer of children ages 1-14 in the U.S., with millions of children visiting the emergency room each year due to "accidents". Leading causes of unintentional injury include suffocation, motor vehicle occupant injuries, drowning, pedestrian incidents, fire and burn injuries, bicycle incidents, poisonings and falls. The Safe Kids USA report makes clear why unintentional injury prevention is an especially important focus for the early childhood community. Children under 4 years old have the highest fatality rate due to unintentional injury - more than twice that of the overall group, most likely due to their limited cognitive ability, motor skills and small size. Suffocation injury, which includes choking and strangulation, is the leading cause of death from unintentional injury among infants under age 1, accounting for nearly 69 percent of overall deaths. Among ages 1 to 4, drowning is the leading cause of fatal injury and accounts for 30 percent of deaths from unintentional injury. Many times parents' attitudes can play a part in why accidents happen. The report highlights findings from a parent survey conducted in the fall of 2007, revealing that only 58 percent of parents say that accidental injury is among their major concerns for their children, which is down 7 percent from a survey taken in 1987. Although many parents take certain safety measures such as ensuring they have a proper car seat, or holding their child's hand while crossing the street, others, such as installing a smoke alarm in the home or ensuring that their child wears a helmet while riding a bike, can go by the wayside. To learn more about what Safe Kids USA recommends on preventing unintentional injuries click here. To learn how to apply for funding so your agency can build its capacity or conduct policy and advocacy work to prevent unintentional injuries click here. |
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