Abstract
In order to develop an accident prevention program for children, a review of injuries occurring in children seeking care at 3 North Florida rural health clinics was made. The clinics are located in 3 medically underserved rural counties and serve as their only medical facilities. The nearest full-service hospital emergency room is 30 miles from one clinic, and over 50 miles from the other two. The records of 230 children treated during the 4-month period were reviewed.
Of the 258 injuries or accidents reported, 2 were fatal. The most common non-fatal injuries were lacerations (30%), contusions (16%), sprains (12%), head injuries (10%), fractures (9%), and abrasions (7%). A miscellaneous group of injuries accounted for 18% of the accidents.
Accidents occurred more often in males (65%) than females (35%); 2% occurred in 0-1 year olds, 17% in 1-4 year olds, 20% in 5-9 year olds, 41% in 10-15 year olds, and 20% in 16-21 year olds. These accidents occurred most frequently while they were at play (50%); 10% occurred at work, 15% at school, 6% in auto accidents, and 19% of miscellaneous causes. 15% of the accidents resulted from athletic activity; of these 31% occurred in organized sports, 48% in physical education classes, and 21% in unsupervised athletics. A comprehensive accident prevention program will be presented to this selected group of children and youth and their parents for the purpose of reducing injuries.
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Schulkind, M., March, A. 685 ACCIDENTAL INJURIES TO CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN RURAL FLORIDA. Pediatr Res 15 (Suppl 4), 556 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00708
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00708
