Unintentional child home injury incidence and patterns in six countries in Europe

Abstract

This study investigates the incidence and patterns of child home injuries in six European Union countries. Emergency department and inpatient injury data on injuries to children aged 0–18 years in the home (n = 88,567) for the years 2003–2004 were extracted from the European Injury Database in Austria, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden. The incidence of child home injuries was 44.9/1000 inhabitants Six age-dependent injury patterns were identified using cluster analysis: 1) open wound head injuries; 2) hospital admissions for bruises, contusions, abrasions; 3) falls on stairs indoors; 4) fractures and sprains of the upper extremities; 5) crush/cut/piercing of the fingers; 6) miscellaneous injuries. Child home injuries are a considerable public health problem, particularly in the ages 0 to 4 years. The findings are useful for injury surveillance at the European level yet do not allow for designing testable countermeasures for prevention within home safety initiatives.

Keywords:

• home
• child
• patterns
• products
• incidence estimate

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Benjamin Gruenwald for assistance with data management, to Joanne Vincenten and Morag Mackay for review of the manuscript and Gabrielle Breugelmans for her guidance and support.