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Injury Prevention
Contact Information: Kelly Metcalf, Coordinator - 740.652.2800 kmetcalf@co.fairfield.oh.us
Youth Injury Prevention Project
· Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury death among children 1 to 4 years of age.
• Drowning is the second highest cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 - 14.
• Approximately 400 children younger than age 14 drown in pools and spas every year in the U.S. – more than a child a day.
• Drowning happens quickly and quietly – not with splashing and cries for help as portrayed on television.
• Most children were being supervised by an adult just before they drowned. This is why it is important to use layers of protection.
• Approximately 3 out of 4 pool submersion deaths and 3 out of 5 pool submersion injuries occur at a home pool.
• In 2009, 18 children under thirteen years of age lost their lives to boating, and 50% of the children died from drowning.
For more information: http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-resources-by-risk-area/drowning/
Safety Tips
• Home Drowning Prevention Tips
Videos:
• Safe Kids Water Safety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi9G4O-JEJ4
• Water Safety for Children with Special Needs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2Sjx1S-g9M&feature=related
• Each year, approximately 135 children die from bicycle-related injuries and more than 267,000 nonfatal bicycle injuries occur.
• Helmets can reduce the risk of severe brain injuries by 88 percent; however, only 15 to 25 percent of children 14 and under usually wear a bicycle helmet.
• Helmets could prevent an estimated 75 percent of fatal head injuries and up to 45,000 head injuries to children who ride bikes each year.
• Unfortunately, about 53 percent of vehicle-related bike deaths to children happen on minor roads and residential streets.
• The single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes is a helmet
• A helmet should also be labeled to indicate that it meets the standards set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. As long as it’s certified, let kids pick out their helmets.
For more information: http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-resources-by-risk-area/bicycling-and-skating/
Safety Tips:
Videos:
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u09HRDNf6M&feature=relmfu
The story of Daniel Kane who survived being hit by a car
while riding his bike because he was wearing a helmet and his mother's
advice on how to prevent similar accidents.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5zE6Xtjf_Y&feature=relmfu
how to fit a helmet properly
· In 2009, 244 children ages 14 & younger we killed as pedestrians.
· In 2009, 13,000 children ages 14 & younger were injured as pedestrians.
· 76 percent of child pedestrian deaths occur at non-intersection locations.
o For children under age five - 81 percent
· 42 percent of child pedestrian who are struck by cars are hit between 4 pm and 7:59 pm.
· Almost two thirds of the child pedestrian fatalities occur on rural roadways.
· The months of May and October have the highest number of child pedestrian deaths.
· Those who are at the highest risk for pedestrian related injuries are: African-American children, male children, children living in high density areas and children residing in low-income households.
· Safe Kids research shows one out of every six drivers in school zones is distracted.
For more information: http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-resources-by-risk-area/pedestrian/
Safety Tips:
Downloads:
Video:
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPxZKI1mfpo&feature=relmfu
The story of Ben Jablonski, who was struck by a car in a
school zone, and his mother's advice to other parents on how to prevent
similar accidents.
Links:
Safety Quiz - Do you know how to be safe? Click here and find out:
Many Ohioans believe that accidents just happen, but that they don’t happen to them. Most injuries aren’t accidents – they’re preventable. The threat of injury is one that lasts throughout your lifetime, but knowing your risks and taking steps to avoid injuries can help keep you and your loved ones safe.
In Ohio, unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for ages 1 through 44 and the fifth leading cause of death overall. In a single year, more than 7,200 Ohioans died from injury-related causes. On average, 18 people lost their lives each day, more than eight people were hospitalized each hour and three people were treated in emergency departments every minute for injury and violence-related causes. Fatal and non-fatal, hospital-admitted injuries cost Ohioans approximately $30 billion annually in medical, quality-of-life and work loss costs.
Many injuries and associated costs can be proactively prevented by taking actions such as wearing a seatbelt, properly installing smoke alarms, correctly installing and using child safety seats, wearing a helmet, storing cleaning supplies in locked cabinets and educating the community about violence and maltreatment towards children, seniors and other vulnerable populations.
Below are some more ways you can live injury free:
· At Home
· At Play
· At Work
Read more about injury prevention at www.healthyohioprogram.org – click on Injury Prevention.
RESOURCES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Ohio Public Health Association
April is National Youth Sports Safety Month
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FAIRFIELD COUNTY YOUTH INJURY PREVENTION PROJECT
The Fairfield County Childhood Injury Prevention Project’s goal is to prevent childhood injuries in Fairfield County. Lancaster youth in particular experience a greater number of traumatic injuries compared to all Fairfield County youth, as well as a 63% increase in the number of Lancaster youth treated in emergency rooms between 2007-2008. Data also showed that at least 25% of these injuries were a result of a pedestrian, bicycle, or off-road incident.
This year’s activities include:
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Work with hospitals to include cause of injury on patient reports. This is vital information for the development of an effective injury prevention program.
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Work with local police to promote enforcement of existing pedestrian ordinances. Work with local governments to consider pedestrian and bicycle safety in every new construction or repair of existing roadways.
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Provide bike helmets to students who bicycle to school without a helmet. Work with governments to provide traffic calming techniques on wide streets such as bike lanes, sidewalks, stencils and signage.
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Provide physician training on the use of an injury prevention materials for parents; provide information to physicians based on local risk factors; provide injury prevention training to groups who work with youth.
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Develop youth based media campaigns to promote bike helmet use and off-road safety; implement Green Ribbon Month campaigns in September at schools to call attention to school zone speed limits, pedestrian and bicycle safety
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