Pediatrics Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Pediatrics, including details on child development, perinatal medicine, child health care.

Pediatric fall injuries in agricultural settings: a new look at a common injury control problem.

Pickett W, Dostaler S, Berg RL, Linneman JG, Brison RJ, Marlenga B

Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.

OBJECTIVES: Children on farms experience high risks for fall injuries. This study characterized the causes and consequences of fall injuries in this pediatric population. METHODS: A retrospective case series was assembled from registries in Canada and the United States. A new matrix was used to classify each fall according to initiating mechanisms and injuries sustained on impact. RESULTS: Fall injuries accounted for 41% (484/1193) of the case series. Twenty percent of the fall injuries were into the path of a moving hazard (complex falls), and 91% of complex falls were related to farm production. Sixty-one percent of complex falls from heights occurred while children were not working. Fatalities and hospitalized injuries were overrepresented in the complex falls. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric fall injuries were common. This analysis provides a novel look at this occupational injury control problem.

Published 11 April 2007 in J Occup Environ Med, 49(4): 461-8.
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