Child Injuries
Lead person: Sian Evans
This page provides access to relevant regional data on child injuries using downloadable erpho publications and interactive web resources. In addition, it offers some limited signposting to key data sources and useful organisations, websites and e-bulletins. Further information relating to childhood injuries is available from the Injury Observatory for Britain and Ireland (IOBI)
Definition
Injuries are defined as ‘damage to the body resulting from acute exposure to thermal, mechanical, electrical, or chemical energy or from the absence of such essentials as heat or oxygen’(Sleet DA et al. Injury in Western Australia. Perth: Department of Health, Government of Western Australia; 1991)
Terminology
Because the term ‘accident’ suggests that such events are random and unpreventable, the term ‘injury’ is used wherever possible.
National strategy and targets
Information on key national strategies is maintained by the IOBI.
Public Service Agreement 13 Improve Children and Young People's Safety sets out national priorities relating to children's safety including reducing the number of hospital admissions for injury and reducing deaths dues to external causes.
Data
Data for National Indicator 170 Hospital admissions due to injury, age 0-17 years can be found on the South West Public Health Observatory site.
Data on child health including childhood injuries can also be obtained from the Child and Maternal Health Observatory (ChiMat)
Resources
Links