|
 |
|
|
 |
Falls - injury statistics and incidence rates
|
|
The following statistics were are the latest available from the National SAFE KIDS Campaign:
|
|
Injury and death rates |
|
- More than 2.3 million children ages 14 and under are treated annually at hospital emergency rooms for fall-related injuries.
- In 1999, falls killed 120 children ages 14 and under.
- More than half of fall-related injuries among children occur among ages 5 and under.
- About 18 children ages 10 and under die annually from falls from windows. Another 4,700 children ages 14 and under will require treatment each year for window fall-related injuries.
|
|
Where and when |
|
- Infants are more likely to fall from furniture, baby walkers, and stairs.
- Toddlers tend to fall from windows.
- Older children fall more often from playground equipment.
- Most falls occur during common play times for children: noon to early evening.
- The majority of falls (more than 80 percent) among children ages 4 and under occur in the home.
- Falls from windows tend to be the most severe or fatal.
- Window falls most often occur in urban, low-income neighborhoods, and in deteriorated and overcrowded housing.
- In 1998, more than 12,000 children were treated for injuries sustained from bleachers, half of which involved falls.
|
|
Who |
|
- Preschoolers are at greatest risk for falls.
- Children ages 10 and under sustain fall-related injuries twice as often as other children.
- Boys are twice as likely to die from fall-related injuries than girls.
- Most often, children who fall from windows are boys under the age of 3 who are playing unsupervised.
- Children who live in apartment buildings are five times more likely to fall from a window.
- African-American children are one and a half times more likely to sustain fall-related injuries than Caucasian children.
|
|
Playgrounds |
|
- Playground falls cause more than 223,000 children, ages 14 and under, to require emergency room treatment. Of those, approximately 70 percent are between the ages of 5 and 14.
- Most playground-related injuries occur when children fall to the ground (70 percent).
- The most severe playground-related injuries are due to falls (90 percent). One-third of playground-related fatalities are due to falls.
- Children ages 4 and under tend to suffer injuries to the face and head from playground-related injuries, while older children are more likely to injure arms or hands.
|
|
Click here to view related Web sites
Return to the Safety and Injury Prevention Home Page
Return to the Disorders, Diseases and Organ Topics Home Page
| |
| |
|
|
|
 Back to top
|
|
|
|
