2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

335900
Impact of the Application of Injury Prevention Science on Child Safety Over the Last 25 Years


Monday, November 2, 2015

Kevin T. Borrup, JD, MPA, Injury Prevention Center, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT
Susan DiVietro, PhD, Injury Prevention Center, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT
Carrie Corrigan, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT
Garry Lapidus, PA-C, MPH, Injury Prevention Center, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT
Background/Purpose: Injury is the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States. In the last 25 years, injury prevention science has become embedded in a multitude of contexts, from state and federal agencies and insurance companies to hospitals and consumer products manufacturers. The purpose of our study was to describe changes in U.S. fatal injury death rates by cause over the last 2 decades.

Methods: We reviewed data from WISQARS from 1990 to 2013. We compared years and developed injury rate trend lines. We constructed an overall picture of the total percent change in injury rates in children under the age of 19 years by cause.

Results/Outcomes: Overall, there was a 50% decrease in injury death rates. There was a 55% decline in unintentional injury death rates.  By comparison, the decrease for homicide was 54%, and 20% for suicide deaths.  Rates of injury declined 84% for motor vehicle occupants, 79% for cyclists, and  68% for pedestrians. In addition, fatal injury rates declined 51% for drowning, 48% for falls, 72% for fires/burns, 75% for residential fires, and 58% for firearms.  However, poisoning increased by 30% and suffocation fatalities increased by 54%.

Conclusions: In over 2 decades, there has been a measurable decline in childhood injury rates with a few notable exceptions. Further declines in fatal injury are possible with greater awareness and adoption of proven effective injury prevention interventions.

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Explain the impact of the application of injury prevention science to child and adolescent injury rates over the past 25 years.

Keyword(s): Epidemiology, Child Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-principal investigator on multiple injury prevention research studies. I am the Associate Director of the Injury Prevention Center at Connecticut Children's Medical Center. I am a past presenter at the APHA. Among my scientific interests has been the development of strategies for engaging pediatricians in anticipatory guidance around the primary prevention of childhood injury.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3098.0: Injuries among Children and Adolescents