Nonfatal and fatal self-harm injuries among children aged 10-14 years--United States and Oregon, 2001-2003.

Fatal and nonfatal injuries due to suicidal behavior among younger adolescents are of growing concern for many communities. We examined the incidence and patterns of these injuries among persons aged 10-14 years using three databases, two national and a third from Oregon. Suffocation and firearm gunshot were the leading external causes of suicide; poisoning and cutting/piercing were the leading causes of nonfatal self-harm injuries. The most common psychosocial factors associated with those treated in emergency departments for self-harm injuries were psychological conditions; drug/alcohol involvement; and adverse circumstances, including family discord, school problems, and physical/sexual abuse. Analysis of population-based data from these databases are part of the public health approach and can help direct much needed research and prevention efforts that address self-harming behavior in these younger adolescents.

School bus-related injuries among children and teenagers in the United States, 2001-2003.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work was to describe the epidemiology of nonfatal school bus-related injuries among children and teenagers aged < or = 19 years in the United States. DESIGN/METHODS: Nationally representative data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All-Injury Program operated by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission were analyzed. Case subjects included all of the patients in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All-Injury Program database who were treated in a hospital emergency department for a nonfatal school bus-related injury from 2001 to 2003. RESULTS: There were an estimated 51,100 school bus-related injuries treated in US emergency departments from 2001 to 2003, for a national estimate of 17,000 injuries (rate: 21.0 per 100,000 population) annually. Ninety-seven percent of children were treated and released from the hospital. Children 10 to 14 years of age accounted for the greatest proportion of injuries (43.0%; rate: 34.7) compared with all other age groups. Motor vehicle crashes accounted for 42.3% of all injuries, followed by injuries that occurred as the child was boarding/alighting/approaching the bus (23.8%). Head injuries accounted for more than half (52.1%) of all injuries among children < 10 years of age, whereas lower extremity injuries predominated among children 10 to 19 years of age (25.5%). Strains and sprains accounted for the highest percentage of all injuries, followed by contusions and abrasions (28.3%) and lacerations (14.9%). More than three quarters (77.7%) of lacerations were to the head. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to describe nonfatal school bus-related injuries to US children and teenagers treated in US hospital emergency departments using a national sample. This study identified a much greater annual number of school bus-related injuries to children than reported previously.

All-terrain vehicle-related nonfatal injuries among young riders: United States, 2001-2003.

BACKGROUND: All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) have gained in popularity in recent years, and this rise in use has been accompanied by increases in the number of ATV-related injuries. Because children often lack the physical strength, cognitive abilities, and fine motor skills to operate ATVs properly, their risk for injury is greater. Furthermore, most children ride adult-sized ATVs. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the numbers and rates of ATV-related nonfatal injuries to riders aged < or =15 years who were treated in hospital emergency departments (EDs) in the United States from 2001 through 2003. METHODS: Estimates of ATV-related injuries were obtained from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program. The database is a nationally representative, stratified probability sample of 66 US hospitals with > or =6 beds and a 24-hour ED. ATV-related nonfatal injuries to riders aged < or =15 years who were treated in hospital EDs were examined by age group, gender, primary body part injured, diagnosis, and hospital admission status. RESULTS: From 2001 through 2003, an estimated 108724 children aged < or =15 years were treated in hospital EDs for nonfatal injuries sustained while riding ATVs. The number of ATV-related injuries increased by 25% over the 3-year period. Males aged 11 to 15 years accounted for 52% of all ATV-related ED visits and hospitalizations among young riders. Children aged 0 to 5 years were more likely than the older children to have facial injuries, whereas the older children were more likely to sustain lower trunk and leg or foot injuries. Fractures were the most common diagnosis, accounting for 27% of ED visits and 45% of hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS: Current legal and regulatory standards have been ineffective in reducing injuries among young ATV riders. Renewed efforts by health care providers to counsel parents about the injury risk to children who ride ATVs and advocate for more stringent state-level minimum age requirements may help reduce the escalating rates of ATV-related injuries among young riders.