Abstract
The objective of this study is to determine prevention strategies for potentially serious injury events among children younger
than 3 years of age based upon circumstances surrounding injury events. Surveillance was conducted on all injuries to District
of Columbia (DC) residents less than 3 years old that resulted in an Emergency Department (ED) visit, hospitalization, or
death for 1 year. Data were collected through abstraction of medical records and interviews with a subset of parents of injured
children. Investigators coded injury-related events for the potential for death or disability. Potential prevention strategies
were then determined for all injury events that had at least a moderate potential for death or disability and sufficient detail
for coding (n = 425). Injury-related events included 10 deaths, 163 hospitalizations, and 2,868 ED visits (3,041 events in
total). Of the hospitalizations, 88% were coded as moderate or high potential for disability or death, versus only 21% of
the coded ED visits. For potentially serious events, environmental change strategies were identified for 47%, behavior change
strategies for 77%, and policy change strategies for 24%. For 46% of the events more than one type of prevention strategy
was identified. Only 8% had no identifiable prevention strategy. Prevention strategies varied by specific cause of injury.
Potential prevention strategies were identifiable for nearly all potentially serious injury events, with multiple potential
prevention strategies identified for a large fraction of the events. These findings support developing multifaceted prevention
approaches informed by community-based injury surveillance.
than 3 years of age based upon circumstances surrounding injury events. Surveillance was conducted on all injuries to District
of Columbia (DC) residents less than 3 years old that resulted in an Emergency Department (ED) visit, hospitalization, or
death for 1 year. Data were collected through abstraction of medical records and interviews with a subset of parents of injured
children. Investigators coded injury-related events for the potential for death or disability. Potential prevention strategies
were then determined for all injury events that had at least a moderate potential for death or disability and sufficient detail
for coding (n = 425). Injury-related events included 10 deaths, 163 hospitalizations, and 2,868 ED visits (3,041 events in
total). Of the hospitalizations, 88% were coded as moderate or high potential for disability or death, versus only 21% of
the coded ED visits. For potentially serious events, environmental change strategies were identified for 47%, behavior change
strategies for 77%, and policy change strategies for 24%. For 46% of the events more than one type of prevention strategy
was identified. Only 8% had no identifiable prevention strategy. Prevention strategies varied by specific cause of injury.
Potential prevention strategies were identifiable for nearly all potentially serious injury events, with multiple potential
prevention strategies identified for a large fraction of the events. These findings support developing multifaceted prevention
approaches informed by community-based injury surveillance.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-7
- DOI 10.1007/s10995-011-0857-y
- Authors
- Robin L. Toblin, Military Psychiatry Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
- Ruth A. Brenner, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Gitanjali S. Taneja, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Maryann W. Rossi, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
- Millicent Collins, DC General Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
- Angela D. Mickalide, Research and Programs, Safe Kids Worldwide, Washington, DC, USA
- Mary D. Overpeck, The National Center for Child Death Review, Washington, DC, USA
- Yvette Clinton-Reid, Department of Neonatology, Providence Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
- Jill A. Dever, RTI International, Washington, DC, USA
- Kerrie Boyle, Rho, Inc., Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Ann C. Trumble, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Peter C. Scheidt, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
- Journal Maternal and Child Health Journal
- Online ISSN 1573-6628
- Print ISSN 1092-7875