World Report On Child Injury Prevention

Child injuries are largely absent from child survival initiatives presently on the global agenda. Through this report, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund and many partners have set out to elevate child injury to a priority for the global public health and development communities. It should be seen as a complement to the UN Secretary-General's study on violence against children released in late 2006 (that report addressed violence-related or intentional injuries). Both reports suggest that child injury and violence prevention programs need to be integrated into child survival and other broad strategies focused on improving the lives of children. Evidence demonstrates the dramatic successes in child injury prevention in countries which have made a concerted effort. These results make a case for increasing investments in human resources and institutional capacities. Implementing proven interventions could save more than a thousand children's lives a day.--p. vii.

Injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in children. This report presents evidence on how they can be prevented and calls for greater commitment and action from policy-makers and practitioners to decrease the burden. Every year, unintentional injuries kill nearly 42,000 children and young people under the age of 20 in the WHO European Region. Injuries are the leading cause of death among those aged 5-19 years, and 5 out of 6 of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Irrespective of country income, the burden falls disproportionately on children from the most disadvantaged groups. The leading types of unintentional injuries are road traffic injuries, drowning, poisoning, burns and falls. All injury types have similar main causes and socioeconomic and environmental determinants. Children are particularly vulnerable to injuries and need special consideration to safeguard their rights to health and safe environments, free from injury. This report, companion to the World Report on Child Injury Prevention, presents the evidence on both the great potential for injury prevention and the effectiveness and value for money of measures already in use in European countries with low injury mortality. It shows why health systems and particularly programs for child health throughout the WHO European Region should give priority to preventing and controlling child injury.

Every day thousands of people are killed and injured on our roads. Millions of people each year will spend long weeks in the hospital after severe crashes and many will never be able to live, work or play as they used to do. Current efforts to address road safety are minimal in comparison to this growing human suffering. This report presents a comprehensive overview of what is known about the magnitude, risk factors and impact of road traffic injuries, and about ways to prevent and lessen the impact of road crashes. Over 100 experts, from all continents and different sectors -- including transport, engineering, health, police, education and civil society -- have worked to produce the report. Charts and tables.

Printed Edition of the Special Issue Published in IJERPH

In the Handbook of Injury and Violence Prevention, over fifty experts present the current landscape of intervention methods - from risk reduction to rethinking social norms - as they address some of the most prevalent forms of accidental and violent injury. - Overview chapters examine the social and economic scope of unintentional and violent injury today - Extensive literature review of specific intervention programs to prevent violence and injury - Special chapters on childhood injuries, alcohol-related accidents, and disasters - "Interventions in the Field" section offers solid guidelines for implementing and improving existing programs - Critical analysis of issues involved in delivering programs to wider audiences - Helpful appendices list relevant agencies and professional resources This dual focus on intervention and application makes the Handbook a bedrock text for professionals involved in delivering or managing prevention programs. Its what-works-now approach gives it particular utility in the graduate classroom, and researchers will benefit from the critical attention paid to knowledge gaps in the field. It is a major resource for any reader committed to reducing the number of incidents just waiting to happen.

This report is part of WHO's response to the 49th World Health Assembly held in 1996 which adopted a resolution declaring violence a major and growing public health problem across the world. It is aimed largely at researchers and practitioners including health care workers, social workers, educators and law enforcement officials.

The World Health Organization recognizes that injuries are the leading cause of death and disability to children after their first birthday. There is also high morbidity associated with injuries sustained in childhood, often affecting people for the rest of their lives. For every child who dies from injury, there are several thousand who require medical care, many who live with varying degrees of disability. Children and adolescents (0–19 years of age) are at increased risk of mortality and morbidity due to injuries such as road traffic, burns, falls, poisoning, drowning, self-harm and interpersonal violence. There are proven ways to prevent many child injuries, yet there are still gaps in our knowledge. By understanding the impact of determinants of health (i.e., the social and economic environment, the physical environment and a person’s individual characteristics and behaviors), effective prevention interventions can be designed and implemented, with a high return on investment. This Special Issue covers an eclectic range of studies, the common goal of which is to reduce the global burden of child injury-related mortality and morbidity.