TABLE 5
SOURCE: Kristen Kucera.
space (e.g., changing the equipment on a playground
at a child-care facility). Other strategies require that
funds be made available to make special provisions
for protecting children without personal resources
(e.g., car seat or smoke detector give-away programs
for low-income families), while limiting higher-
income families’ access to the funds.
Summary
Injury is a major public health problem for chil-
dren. Data to assess the magnitude of the problem are
of variable quality and in need of continuous im-
provement, but it is clear that special risks exist for
certain subgroups of the population, including differ-
ent risks by ethnic group, age, and gender. It is im-
portant to examine data from multiple sources to
understand the problem, including information
about deaths as well as injuries resulting in hospital-
ization or outpatient (e.g., emergency department)
care. Other types of injuries are not as easily captured
in these data systems and require efforts to estimate
risks through other means—for example, collecting
data from social services or through research surveys
about child abuse, from schools about sports injury,
or from youth about employment-related injuries.
Research tracking the long-term effects of differ-
ent types of injury suggests that the developmental
outcomes of more severe injuries may be profound.
Injuries are not accidents. Causes can be identi-
fied and preventive strategies developed. There are
numerous interventions to choose from in addressing
prevention of traumatic injuries, each with its own ad-
vantages and disadvantages.
See also: MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
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