Injuries Among Preschool Children Enrolled in Day-Care Centers

Abstract

In this study, 423 injury incidents among preschool children enrolled in day-care centers reported to the Los Angeles Unified School District during the 2-year period 1983 to 1984 are reviewed. The relative risk of sustaining an injury between boys and girls was 1.5:1. Among sex and age groups, younger boys (2 to 3 years of age) showed the highest injury rate and older girls (4 to 5 years of age) showed the lowest. The overall incidence was 19.7 injuries per 1,000 child-years. The majority of the injuries were minor in severity, and medical attention was recommended in only 12.8% of the injuries. The highest incidence occurred during the late morning period (9 AM to 12 noon). A consumer product was involved in 53.7% of the incidents. Three of four injuries were considered preventable by training and/or education or by the Haddon injury reduction strategies. Additional prospective studies are needed to develop and implement preventive measures.