engleski

Accidents in children and youth

Accidents were always present in human lives on the level of individuals and level of species. The world is a complex place and for children injury occurs within this complex environment. Children do not choose where they live and they have little control over the environments and products they are exposed to. Also children have access to limited information and insufficient knowledge and maturity to understand world around them. Injury is leading cause of death for children and adolescents, in the developed part they come on the first place after the first year of life and in the developing countries after the fifth year. The cost to society and families is high. Deaths are only the tip of the injury burden iceberg. Injuries are the important cause of hospitalization, the cause of disability, important part of health and social expenditure. How to measure the pain and suffering? Death of a young child often has devastating effects on immediate family and can dismantle the family unit. Public health importance of accident today in the developed world is the same as it was historical importance of food deficiencies and infectious diseases. Injury has a steeper social class gradient than any other cause of childhood death or long-term disability. To cope better with the problem we need to clarify definitions. Accident is the event which result or could result in injury and/or other unwanted consequences (psychological or social). There are some suggestions to coin a new world „injident“to give more specific meaning. Injury is the event of uncontrolled high energy (could be mechanical, termic, electrical, radiation, chemical) influence to human body which causes damage/ or the absence of energy. Mainly it happens by interaction of different factors. WHO divides injuries according to: 1. intention, 2. mechanism and 3. Consequences. According to intention there are two groups: Intentional (suicides, homicides, terrorism, violence, war injuries) and Unintentional (traffic, occupational, home and leisure injuries, sport). According to mechanism there are: falls, poisoning, fire, drowning, suffocation... Talking about consequences it could be followed the affected body part (head, arms, legs, body) or type of injury (head, arms, legs, body) As many other public health problems accidents can be prevented on three levels of prevention: before accident- primary prevention (lows and regulations, fence around swimming pools, weapon locks, protective seals on drugs and poisonings…) ; during accident - secondary prevention (helmets, seat bells, air bags) ; after accident- tertiary prevention (organization of first aid, rehabilitation). Sometimes shortly accident prevention can be presented through 3 “E” strategies (Environmental changes, Enforcement, Education) It is imperative for society to ensure the safety of children and youth as a fundamental human right.

Accident; Children; Injury; Youth; Prevention

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