Addressing childhood injury in Mackay: a Safe Communities Initiative

This report reviews the patterns of childhood injury in the Mackay and Moranbah Health Services District (MMHSD). It seeks to identify strategic opportunities to reduce childhood injury in the region, with a particular focus on injury affecting children aged 0-4. In summary: - Injury is the leading cause of death in children, accounting for one-third of all deaths in those aged 1 to 14 years (compared with 3% of deaths in adults). - In the MMHSD, childhood injury results in an average of 4 deaths, 1,260 hospitalisations and 3,343 Emergency Departments (EDs) presentations per year. - There were 16,715 injury presentations to regional EDs involving children during the 5-year study period (1998 to 2002), 5,007 (30%) in children aged 0-4. - Immersion incidents (drowning / near drowning) resulted in 4 deaths and 13 ED presentations. - Transport incidents resulted in 14 deaths and 1,998 ED presentations in children. Three deaths and 231 ED presentations occurred in children aged 0-4. Leading causes of ED presentation in children of this age were bicycle (41%), motor vehicle passenger (34%), & pedestrian (13%) injuries. - Falls resulted in one death and 5,550 ED presentations. 1,953 occurred in children aged 0-4. The most important causes of falls in children of this age were nursery equipment, playground equipment, stairs, balconies and windows, trampolines, and beds including bunk beds. - Poisoning resulted in 398 ED presentations, 313 in children aged 0-4. Half were the result of poisoning by medications and half due to household chemicals. - Burns resulted in 486 ED presentations, most commonly from hot object burns (214), scalds (174) and flame burns (53). - Childhood development is rapid and dynamic. Accordingly, the type of injury children suffer is equally dynamic. Each type of injury has its own distinctive age demographic. Significant causes of injury in children aged 0-4 also involve children of primary school age. Interventions targeting young children may be more effective in the context of interventions simultaneously aimed at older children.