Injury Prevention

Abstract

Physical injuries sustained by children and adolescents are a serious problem involving, quite literally, matters of life and death. At least 10,000 children die each year from unintentional injuries that account for more than 50% of all deaths to children ages 1 to 14, more than the other six major causes of death to children combined (Wilson, Baker, Teret, Shock, & Garbarino, 1991). Moreover, for every death there are an estimated 34 children hospitalized for the treatment of injury, and for every hospitalization, there are 30 more children seen at emergency medical settings. These figures do not include those children treated by private physicians and at home for various injuries. All told, it is believed that every year one out of every five children in the United States suffers an injury requiring some medical attention (Wilson et al., 1991).