Relevant Statistics

 The truth is, injuries happen and they affect real families, real friends, and real people. According to the Injury Prevention Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, injury is the number one cause of death and disability among children in the United States.[i] In fact, every 4 seconds a child is treated for injuries in an Emergency Department (ED) in the US.[ii] That’s 15 children a minute, 900 an hour, and 21,600 a day.

Below are some statistics focusing on nonfatal childhood injuries and the ways that many of them occur. Through increased awareness of this problem as it exists all around us, we hope to better understand how we can help decrease the occurrences of preventable injuries and support the multitudes of survivors in their recoveries. 

 Nonfatal Injuries Sustained in Motor Vehicle Accidents

  • Every hour, nearly 150 children between 0 and 19 are treated in Emergency Departments for injuries sustained in motor vehicle crashes[i]
  • Since 2001, an average of 227,000 children ages 14 and under are non-fatally injured in motor-vehicle related incidents each year[ii]  
  • Head injuries are the most common injuries sustained by children in motor vehicle crashes and the injury outcome in children can be worse than similar injuries sustained by adults[iii]
  • Children who suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can experience lasting or late appearing neuropsychological problems and should be monitored closely. In children, some neurological deficits after head trauma may not manifest for many years[iv]

Nonfatal Injuries Sustained During Athletics and Recreation

  • From 2001 to 2009, an estimated 2,651,581 children ages 19 years and younger were treated each year for sports and recreation related injuries.[i] Also, the estimated number of sports and recreation related TBI visits to Emergency Departments increased 62%, from 153,375 in ‘01 to 248,418 in ‘09.[ii]
  • The activities associated with the greatest estimated number of TBI-related ED visits were bicycling, football, playground activities, basketball, and soccer. Other activities notable for instances related to TBI injuries include horseback riding, ice skating, golfing, ATV riding, and sledding.[iii]
  • More children ages 5 to 14 are seen in emergency departments for injuries related to biking than any other sport.[iv] In fact, nearly 630 children are injured daily due to cycle-related crashes.[v]
  • On average since 2001, children ages 14 and under have sustained more than 254,000 nonfatal bicycle-related injuries annually.[vi]
  • For every child that drowns, 3 ED visits occur for nonfatal submersion injuries and 40% of these children require hospitalization. Consequences of water related injuries include memory problems, learning disabilities, and even permanent loss of basic functioning.[vii]
  • Since 2001, an average of more than 3,700 children sustained nonfatal near drowning related injuries each year and in 2009 the total was more than 5,000 children.[viii]

 Nonfatal injuries due to Fires and Burns

  • Burns have long been recognized as among the most painful and devastating injuries a person can sustain and survive. Burns often require long periods of rehab, multiple skin grafts, and painful physical therapy, and can leave victims with lifelong physical and psychological trauma.[i]
  • Scald burn injury (caused by hot liquids or steam) is the most common type of burn related injury among young children while flame burns (caused by direct contact with fire) are more prevalent among older children.[ii]
  • From 2000 to 2006, injuries from fires and burns accounted for almost 2% of the nonfatal injuries sustained by children ages 0-19; the overall nonfatal injury rate due to fires or burns was 190 per 100,000 and the rate was highest among children from 1-4.[iii]
  • Since 2001, almost 90,000 children have sustained nonfatal fire or burn injuries each year; 1,293 children under 4 were hospitalized annually for such injuries.[iv]
  • The majority of fires that injure children are residential fires, which are often caused by home cooking equipment.[v]
  • Electrical cords and extension cords cause almost 2/3rds of electrical burn injuries to children ages 12 and under.[vi]

 Nonfatal Injuries due to Falls

  • Each year from 2000 to 2006, approximately 2,800,000 children had an initial Emergency Department visit for injuries from a fall. For children less than 1 year of age, falls accounted for over 50% of nonfatal injuries and for all children 0-19 falls accounted for 31% of the nonfatal injuries sustained.[i]
  • On average since 2001, more than 2.3 million nonfatal fall-related injuries among children were reported annually; in 2009, almost 2,350,000 children sustained nonfatal fall-related injuries.[ii]
  • Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury for all children ages 14 and under.[iii]
  • In 2009, more than 45% of nonfatal fall-related injuries were among children ages 4 and under.[iv]
  • Window falls account for approximately 3,300 injuries among children ages 5 and under annually[v]

It is important to note that these are just a few causes of childhood injuries and there are many others with statistics that are just as alarming. These can include injuries due to bites and stings, poisoning, being struck by or against an object, suffocation, and so on. For more information on these causes please visit SafeKids USA at www.safekids.org. 

[i] Injury Prevention Program, Boston Children’s Hospital http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site2118/mainpageS2118P0.html

[ii] Thomas H. Maugh II, The Los Angeles Times, “Child injury deaths fell 30% in decade, but drug deaths rose, CDC’s first study of childhook injuries by state shows great improvement, but much is left to be done.” April 16, 2012. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/16/news/la-heb-childhood-deaths-injuries-20120416

[iii] CDC, “Road Traffic Injuries: The Reality,” http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/Road_Traffic_Injuries/index.html#reality

[iv] Safe Kids USA, “Motor Vehicle Safety Fact Sheet.” http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/motor-vehicle-safety-fact-sheet.html

[v] U.S. Dept. of Transportation: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Children Injured in Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes.” May 2010. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811325.PDF

[vi] U.S. Dept. of Transportation: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Children Injured in Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes.” May 2010. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811325.PDF

[vii] CDC, “Nonfatal Traumatic Brain Injuries Related to Sports and Recreation Activities Among Persons Aged 19 Years and Younger – U.S., 2001-2009.” October 7, 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6039a1.htm

[viii] CDC, “Nonfatal Traumatic Brain Injuries Related to Sports and Recreation Activities Among Persons Aged 19 Years and Younger – U.S., 2001-2009.” October 7, 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6039a1.htm

[ix] CDC, “Nonfatal Traumatic Brain Injuries Related to Sports and Recreation Activities Among Persons Aged 19 Years and Younger – U.S., 2001-2009.” October 7, 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6039a1.htm

[x] Safe Kids USA, “Bicycling and Skating Safety Fact Sheet.” http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/bicycle-safety-fact-sheet.html

[xi] Safe Kids USA, “Bicycling and Skating Safety Fact Sheet.” http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/bicycle-safety-fact-sheet.html

[xii] Safe Kids USA, “Bicycling and Skating Safety Fact Sheet.” http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/bicycle-safety-fact-sheet.html

[xiii] AMA, “Untentional Injuries in Children and Youth.” Referencing CDC 2003 Statistics. http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/mss/toolkit_inj_notes.pdf

[xiv] Safe Kids USA, “Drowning Prevention Fact Sheet.” http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/drowning-prevention-fact-sheet.html

[xv] PreventInjury.org, http://www.preventinjury.org/PDFs/BURN_INJURY.pdf. Stats from National SAFE KIDS Campaign (NSKC). Burn Injury Fact Sheet. Washington (DC): NSKC, 2004.

[xvi] Safe Kids USA, “Burn and Scald Prevention Fact Sheet.” http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/burn-and-scald-prevention-fact-sheet.html

[xvii] CDC, “CDC Childhood Injury Report: Patterns of Unintentional Injuries among 0-19 Year Olds in the United States, 2000-2006.”

[xviii] Safe Kids USA, “Burn and Scald Prevention Fact Sheet.” http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/burn-and-scald-prevention-fact-sheet.html

[xix] Boston Children’s Hospital, “Fire Safety and Burn Injury Statistics.” http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site903/mainpageS903P0.html. Stats obtained from Safe Kids Campaign and the US Fire Administration (part of FEMA)

[xx] Boston Children’s Hospital, “Fire Safety and Burn Injury Statistics.” http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site903/mainpageS903P0.html. Stats obtained from Safe Kids Campaign and the US Fire Administration (part of FEMA)

[xxi] CDC, “CDC Childhood Injury Report: Patterns of Unintentional Injuries among 0-19 Year Olds in the United States, 2000-2006.”

[xxii] Safe Kids USA, “Falls Prevention Fact Sheet.” http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/falls-prevention-fact-sheet.html

[xxiii] Safe Kids USA, “Falls Prevention Fact Sheet.” http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/falls-prevention-fact-sheet.html

[xxiv] Safe Kids USA, “Falls Prevention Fact Sheet.” http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/falls-prevention-fact-sheet.html

[xxv] Safe Kids USA, “Falls Prevention Fact Sheet.” http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/falls-prevention-fact-sheet.html