Essay Sample: Unintentional Injuries for Infants, Toddlers and Preschool Children

Data from the centre for disease control and prevention, the United States has experienced an estimated 2,715 annualized deaths of children less than 5 years due to unintentional injuries within a span of nine years (2000-2009) (CDC, 2012). However, Berks records a total number of 43 deaths resulting from unintentional injuries within a span of five years (2006-2010). This represents approximately 3.17% of the total deaths within half the period recorded from the US national statistics platform. Berks also recorded fewer deaths resulting from unintentional injuries among children compared to other counties in Southeast Pennsylvania, such as Philadelphia, Lancaster, Montgomery and Bucks among others ("Pennsylvania Department of Health," 2010).

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Prior to my research, I was aware of auto collisions, drowning, burns and falls as causes of unintentional injuries among infants, toddlers and preschool children. However, before the research, I was not aware of poisoning, suffocation, overexertion and natural causes such as bites or stings as contributing factors to unintentional injuries among infants and toddlers.

According to Ablewhite et al. 2015, the leading causes of unintentional injuries among children include motor vehicle crashes, fires and burns, drowning, and suffocation. Moreover, the leading causes of non-fatal injuries that result in hospitalization include poisoning, falls and scald burns. Parents, therefore play a pivotal role in preventing or mitigating these injuries from occurring on their infants, toddlers or preschool children. Some of their preventive measures within the home set up include:

Establishing a safe environment for children. This includes keeping dangerous objects out of their reach such as sharp implements, hot drinks, poisonous substances and glasses (Judy, 2011). It may also incorporate restricting access to certain areas, locking windows and external doors and keeping the home tidy to prevent trip hazards. They can also establish some form of safety equipment to help create a safe environment for their child.

Ensuring out of reach and restricting access to some areas by the children. This involves putting some dangerous objects high enough or at the back of work surfaces to prevent children from reaching them (Judy, 2011). More focus should, however, be placed on accessibility to the bathroom and kitchen. Parents make further restrictions on these areas since they are considered as places where most accidents occur.

Using a range of equipment to help establish a safe environment for the children (Ablewhite, 2015). The common types of equipment used include the plug socket covers, stair gates, safety locks, furniture corner protectors, blind cord cleats, smoke alarms, cot bars, and fire guards among others.

The other community members such as social workers, teachers, child caregivers, and paediatricians also play important roles in mitigating unintentional injuries among children. An example is the "Safe Kids Berks County". The organization is led by AAA Reading-Berks that provides dedicated and caring staff, support operations and other resources to assist in achieving their main goal of keeping the kids in Berks County safe. It is an international organization with representations in various Counties. Basing on the needs of the community, the organization implements evidence-based programs that include car-seat checkups, sports clinics and safety workshops with the aim of helping parents and caregivers to prevent unintentional childhood injuries ("Safe Kids Berks County," 2019). The paediatricians mitigate the effects of child injuries by checking them on time and advising parents on control measures to be used to prevent its reoccurrence. The teachers, social workers, and child caregivers also apply child safety processes and establish programs to educate parents on effective child safety methods.

References

Ablewhite, J., McDaid, L., Hawkins, A., Peel, I., Goodenough, T., & Deave, T. et al. (2015). Approaches used by parents to keep their children safe at home: a qualitative study to explore the perspectives of parents with children aged under five years. BMC Public Health, 15(1). doi:10.1186/s12889-015-2252-x

CDCP (2012). Years of Potential Life Lost from Unintentional Injuries Among Persons Aged 0-19 Years - the United States, 2000-2009. (2019). Cdc.gov. Retrieved 23 February 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6141a2.htm

Judy, K. (2011). Unintentional Injuries in Pediatrics. Pediatrics In Review, 32(10), 431-439. doi:10.1542/pir.32-10-431

"Pennsylvania Department of Health," (2010). Injury Deaths and Hospitalizations on Pennsylvania 2006-2010. Health.pa.gov. Retrieved 23 February 2019, from https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/HealthStatistics/BehavioralStatistics/InjuryStatistics/Documents/Combined_Injury_Report_2006-2010.pdf

"Safe Kids Worldwide," (2019). Safe Kids Berks County. Safe Kids Worldwide. Retrieved 23 February 2019, from https://www.safekids.org/coalition/safe-kids-berks-county