Child Injury
Facts about child injury
- Worldwide, injury is the leading cause of death and the second leading cause of hospitalisation of children aged 1 – 15 years
- In 2004, the World Health Organization estimated that 950,000 children died as a consequence of injury
- In Australia, between 2002 and 2012, 686,409 children aged less than 16 years were hospitalised for an injury – an aged standardised rate of 1489 per 100,000
- In New Zealand, between 2002 and 2012, 99,581 children aged 0 – 14 years were hospitalised for injury and 1031 children died due to injury
- Leading causes of injury-related death for children are:
- Road traffic injuries
- Burns
- Drowning
- Leading causes of injury related hospitalisation of children are:
- Falls
- Collisions with other people / objects
- About 90% of child injuries are unintentional
- Males are more frequently injured compared to females
- Age and stage of development influence the risk of injury
Resources 
Key reports
- Peden M, Oyegbite K, Ozanne-Smith J, Hyder A A, Branche C, Fazlur Rahman AKM, Rivara F, Bartolomeos K.World Report on Child Injury Prevention, WHO 2008
- Mitchell R, Curtis K, Foster K. A 10-year review of the characteristics and health outcomes of injury-related hospitalisations of children in Australia. Day of Difference Foundation. University of Sydney. 5th May unintentional child injury prevention and safety promotion. NSW Australia edition ed. Sydney: Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network; (2017)
- Safekids Aotearoa. (2015). Child Unintentional Deaths and Injuries in New Zealand, and Prevention Strategies. Auckland, NZ: Safekids Aotearoa.
- Adams S, Elkington J, MacKay MJ, Zwi K, O’Sullivan M, Vincenten J, et al. Child Safety Good Practice Guide: Good investments in unintentional chil injury prevention and safety promotion, NSW Australia Edition (2017)
Fact Sheets
Websites
- World Health Organisation
- AIHW
- Kids Health
- Kidsafe Australia
- CHIPA
- Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne – Safety Centre
- Raising children
Campaigns
This list is a non-exhaustive list of campaigns on a number of child injury themes conducted by a number of different agencies and organisations
Drowning Prevention
- Kids can drown without a sound
- Protect your pool, protect your kids
- Keep Watch
- Water. It’s only safe while you’re watching.
- This much water
Poisoning prevention
Road safety
- Buckle Up Safely
- Click Clack Front & Back
- Don’t go if you don’t know (driveway safety campaign)
- Supervise, Separate and See (driveway safety campaign)
Burns prevention
- Hot water burns like fire
- Learn to stop burns and scalds in the kitchen
- National Burns Awareness Month
Research
There are many publications on different injury topics affecting children – please see research under specific injury topics for a non-exhaustive list of research reports and papers.