Analysis of pediatric falls by age

Background: Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injuries among children. The mechanism and nature of injuries from falls tends to vary by age. A systematic investigation of these differences is needed to develop age-appropriate injury prevention strategies. Methods: Retrospective analysis of data (October 2006-April 2009) from the trauma registry of a level one pediatric trauma center. Inclusion criteria: Patients admitted due to fall-related injury below15 years of age (n = 675). In-depth analysis of data from medical charts was also carried out to examine circumstances of different falls.

Results: Most pediatric fall-related injuries (73%) occurred between 1 and 9 years of age. Although infants accounted for only 8% of fall injuries, a greater proportion of these children were more severely injured. The mean Injury Severity Score for infants was significantly greater than the overall average (11.27 vs. 9.17; p < 0.001). Most infant falls were from counter tops and furniture. For 1 – 4 year old children, falls were mainly from playground equipment, stairs, furniture, and tripping. For 5 – 9 year olds, falls from playground equipment (slides and monkey bars) and trampolines were the most common. For 10 – 14 year olds, falls were predominantly from skateboards, trampolines, and playground equipment. Falls occurred mostly at home or school.

Conclusions: The nature of fall injuries varies across age groups. Therefore, injury prevention efforts need to be clearly age-appropriate in terms of focus, target audience, and setting. Recommendations for injury prevention are discussed.