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Injuries


Injury Hospitalizations, by Age and Cause: 2010 See Source and Notes
(Age: All; Cause: All)

United States Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 6,235 N/A 574 0 6,808
1-4 Years 29,420 N/A 851 0 30,271
5-12 Years 37,061 393 736 0 38,190
13-15 Years 24,135 5,137 2,871 23 32,167
16-20 Years 62,261 21,727 16,509 226 100,724
Total for Ages 0-20 159,112 27,257 21,541 250 208,160
California Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 1,340 N/A 193 53 1,586
1-4 Years 5,025 N/A 125 174 5,325
5-12 Years 5,476 82 70 244 5,872
13-15 Years 3,019 739 319 350 4,427
16-20 Years 7,475 2,314 2,380 1,063 13,232
Total for Ages 0-20 22,335 3,136 3,087 1,884 30,442
Alameda County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 71 N/A 2 2 75
1-4 Years 192 N/A 4 7 203
5-12 Years 229 4 4 5 242
13-15 Years 97 22 18 2 139
16-20 Years 209 53 120 37 419
Total for Ages 0-20 798 79 148 53 1,078
Alpine County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 0 N/A 0 0 0
1-4 Years 0 N/A 0 0 0
5-12 Years 0 0 0 0 0
13-15 Years 0 0 0 0 0
16-20 Years 0 0 0 0 0
Total for Ages 0-20 0 0 0 0 0
Amador County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 1 N/A 0 0 1
1-4 Years 0 N/A 0 0 0
5-12 Years 6 0 0 0 6
13-15 Years 4 0 0 1 5
16-20 Years 8 3 1 0 12
Total for Ages 0-20 19 3 1 1 24
Butte County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 8 N/A 4 0 12
1-4 Years 28 N/A 0 5 33
5-12 Years 28 2 2 1 33
13-15 Years 24 1 3 4 32
16-20 Years 57 16 13 5 91
Total for Ages 0-20 145 19 22 15 201
Calaveras County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 2 N/A 0 0 2
1-4 Years 7 N/A 0 0 7
5-12 Years 8 0 0 0 8
13-15 Years 9 0 0 1 10
16-20 Years 17 1 1 0 19
Total for Ages 0-20 43 1 1 1 46
Colusa County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 0 N/A 0 0 0
1-4 Years 2 N/A 0 0 2
5-12 Years 3 0 0 0 3
13-15 Years 3 0 0 1 4
16-20 Years 10 2 4 1 17
Total for Ages 0-20 18 2 4 2 26
Contra Costa County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 39 N/A 3 3 45
1-4 Years 103 N/A 3 1 107
5-12 Years 143 1 3 8 155
13-15 Years 95 16 12 6 129
16-20 Years 184 40 65 18 307
Total for Ages 0-20 564 57 86 36 743
Del Norte County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 1 N/A 0 0 1
1-4 Years 4 N/A 0 0 4
5-12 Years 5 0 0 0 5
13-15 Years 2 0 1 0 3
16-20 Years 2 2 0 0 4
Total for Ages 0-20 14 2 1 0 17
El Dorado County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 1 N/A 0 0 1
1-4 Years 15 N/A 0 0 15
5-12 Years 18 0 0 2 20
13-15 Years 21 4 0 4 29
16-20 Years 44 8 0 5 57
Total for Ages 0-20 99 12 0 11 122
Fresno County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 62 N/A 6 0 68
1-4 Years 197 N/A 7 13 217
5-12 Years 242 0 3 11 256
13-15 Years 98 10 9 17 134
16-20 Years 181 45 75 28 329
Total for Ages 0-20 780 55 100 69 1,004
Glenn County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 1 N/A 1 0 2
1-4 Years 3 N/A 1 0 4
5-12 Years 1 0 0 0 1
13-15 Years 3 0 1 2 6
16-20 Years 5 2 0 0 7
Total for Ages 0-20 13 2 3 2 20
Humboldt County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 2 N/A 0 0 2
1-4 Years 9 N/A 0 0 9
5-12 Years 7 0 0 1 8
13-15 Years 7 2 0 0 9
16-20 Years 25 9 4 2 40
Total for Ages 0-20 50 11 4 3 68
Imperial County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 4 N/A 1 0 5
1-4 Years 19 N/A 1 1 21
5-12 Years 16 0 0 1 17
13-15 Years 14 0 1 0 15
16-20 Years 46 11 23 9 89
Total for Ages 0-20 99 11 26 11 147
Inyo County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 0 N/A 0 0 0
1-4 Years 2 N/A 0 1 3
5-12 Years 2 0 0 0 2
13-15 Years 0 0 0 0 0
16-20 Years 4 1 0 1 6
Total for Ages 0-20 8 1 0 2 11
Kern County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 56 N/A 10 2 68
1-4 Years 161 N/A 5 6 172
5-12 Years 157 1 3 7 168
13-15 Years 69 16 3 5 93
16-20 Years 221 55 64 21 361
Total for Ages 0-20 664 72 85 41 862
Kings County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 6 N/A 1 1 8
1-4 Years 30 N/A 0 0 30
5-12 Years 30 0 0 0 30
13-15 Years 11 2 0 1 14
16-20 Years 31 7 6 5 49
Total for Ages 0-20 108 9 7 7 131
Lake County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 0 N/A 0 0 0
1-4 Years 6 N/A 0 0 6
5-12 Years 7 0 0 0 7
13-15 Years 8 0 0 2 10
16-20 Years 23 5 0 2 30
Total for Ages 0-20 44 5 0 4 53
Lassen County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 0 N/A 0 0 0
1-4 Years 1 N/A 0 0 1
5-12 Years 1 0 0 0 1
13-15 Years 0 0 0 0 0
16-20 Years 1 0 0 1 2
Total for Ages 0-20 3 0 0 1 4
Los Angeles County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 380 N/A 45 16 441
1-4 Years 1,530 N/A 13 39 1,583
5-12 Years 1,621 27 21 76 1,745
13-15 Years 888 232 92 99 1,311
16-20 Years 2,024 779 772 333 3,908
Total for Ages 0-20 6,443 1,039 943 563 8,988
Madera County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 5 N/A 2 0 7
1-4 Years 28 N/A 1 2 31
5-12 Years 41 0 0 1 42
13-15 Years 26 1 2 5 34
16-20 Years 29 6 2 9 46
Total for Ages 0-20 129 7 7 17 160
Marin County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 6 N/A 0 0 6
1-4 Years 14 N/A 0 1 15
5-12 Years 31 0 0 1 32
13-15 Years 14 4 0 0 18
16-20 Years 39 3 5 3 50
Total for Ages 0-20 104 7 5 5 121
Mariposa County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 1 N/A 0 0 1
1-4 Years 4 N/A 0 0 4
5-12 Years 7 0 0 0 7
13-15 Years 0 0 0 0 0
16-20 Years 5 0 0 1 6
Total for Ages 0-20 17 0 0 1 18
Mendocino County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 2 N/A 0 0 2
1-4 Years 9 N/A 0 0 9
5-12 Years 20 0 0 1 21
13-15 Years 13 2 0 2 17
16-20 Years 27 3 3 4 37
Total for Ages 0-20 71 5 3 7 86
Merced County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 15 N/A 1 1 17
1-4 Years 36 N/A 0 1 37
5-12 Years 46 0 1 4 51
13-15 Years 31 2 6 5 44
16-20 Years 56 13 13 13 95
Total for Ages 0-20 184 15 21 24 244
Modoc County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 0 N/A 0 0 0
1-4 Years 1 N/A 0 0 1
5-12 Years 0 0 0 0 0
13-15 Years 0 0 0 0 0
16-20 Years 2 0 0 0 2
Total for Ages 0-20 3 0 0 0 3
Mono County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 0 N/A 0 0 0
1-4 Years 0 N/A 0 0 0
5-12 Years 4 0 0 0 4
13-15 Years 0 0 0 0 0
16-20 Years 2 0 1 0 3
Total for Ages 0-20 6 0 1 0 7
Monterey County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 18 N/A 5 1 24
1-4 Years 61 N/A 6 1 68
5-12 Years 67 0 1 3 71
13-15 Years 27 8 8 1 44
16-20 Years 49 15 29 11 104
Total for Ages 0-20 222 23 49 17 311
Napa County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 2 N/A 0 0 2
1-4 Years 4 N/A 1 0 5
5-12 Years 9 0 0 0 9
13-15 Years 5 2 0 0 7
16-20 Years 12 5 2 3 22
Total for Ages 0-20 32 7 3 3 45
Nevada County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 2 N/A 0 0 2
1-4 Years 3 N/A 1 0 4
5-12 Years 20 0 0 2 22
13-15 Years 18 1 2 1 22
16-20 Years 26 6 1 6 39
Total for Ages 0-20 69 7 4 9 89
Orange County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 93 N/A 5 10 108
1-4 Years 349 N/A 10 19 378
5-12 Years 355 4 3 14 376
13-15 Years 224 79 25 20 348
16-20 Years 575 261 159 71 1,066
Total for Ages 0-20 1,596 344 202 134 2,276
Placer County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 7 N/A 1 0 8
1-4 Years 41 N/A 0 3 44
5-12 Years 44 0 0 2 46
13-15 Years 31 6 0 6 43
16-20 Years 91 18 8 17 134
Total for Ages 0-20 214 24 9 28 275
Plumas County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 0 N/A 0 0 0
1-4 Years 0 N/A 0 0 0
5-12 Years 1 0 0 0 1
13-15 Years 0 0 0 1 1
16-20 Years 1 0 0 1 2
Total for Ages 0-20 2 0 0 2 4
Riverside County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 74 N/A 23 5 102
1-4 Years 296 N/A 18 10 324
5-12 Years 274 4 3 16 297
13-15 Years 165 66 18 12 261
16-20 Years 431 135 102 57 725
Total for Ages 0-20 1,240 205 164 100 1,709
Sacramento County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 72 N/A 12 2 86
1-4 Years 250 N/A 3 9 262
5-12 Years 257 3 5 10 275
13-15 Years 160 9 18 35 222
16-20 Years 396 74 117 70 657
Total for Ages 0-20 1,135 86 155 126 1,502
San Benito County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 3 N/A 0 0 3
1-4 Years 6 N/A 0 0 6
5-12 Years 9 0 0 0 9
13-15 Years 13 3 0 0 16
16-20 Years 8 5 2 0 15
Total for Ages 0-20 39 8 2 0 49
San Bernardino County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 89 N/A 27 3 119
1-4 Years 317 N/A 21 17 355
5-12 Years 319 2 2 18 341
13-15 Years 121 21 14 17 173
16-20 Years 434 112 117 50 713
Total for Ages 0-20 1,280 135 181 105 1,701
San Diego County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 83 N/A 18 1 102
1-4 Years 347 N/A 8 3 358
5-12 Years 405 19 9 7 440
13-15 Years 283 121 25 25 454
16-20 Years 859 266 254 85 1,464
Total for Ages 0-20 1,977 406 314 121 2,818
San Francisco County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 18 N/A 4 0 22
1-4 Years 59 N/A 2 0 61
5-12 Years 63 1 1 1 66
13-15 Years 22 4 8 3 37
16-20 Years 72 28 39 13 152
Total for Ages 0-20 234 33 54 17 338
San Joaquin County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 22 N/A 2 2 26
1-4 Years 110 N/A 4 1 115
5-12 Years 116 0 0 9 125
13-15 Years 53 14 6 15 88
16-20 Years 119 25 63 19 226
Total for Ages 0-20 420 39 75 46 580
San Luis Obispo County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 5 N/A 0 0 5
1-4 Years 17 N/A 0 3 20
5-12 Years 23 1 1 0 25
13-15 Years 10 1 0 1 12
16-20 Years 40 6 2 3 51
Total for Ages 0-20 95 8 3 7 113
San Mateo County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 9 N/A 1 0 10
1-4 Years 53 N/A 0 1 54
5-12 Years 48 0 1 3 52
13-15 Years 26 17 1 3 47
16-20 Years 67 37 17 9 130
Total for Ages 0-20 203 54 20 16 293
Santa Barbara County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 10 N/A 4 0 14
1-4 Years 33 N/A 1 1 35
5-12 Years 51 0 0 2 53
13-15 Years 23 4 0 1 28
16-20 Years 69 17 11 6 103
Total for Ages 0-20 186 21 16 10 233
Santa Clara County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 57 N/A 2 0 59
1-4 Years 209 N/A 2 6 217
5-12 Years 210 8 2 13 233
13-15 Years 102 19 21 8 150
16-20 Years 222 84 86 27 419
Total for Ages 0-20 800 111 113 54 1,078
Santa Cruz County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 7 N/A 1 0 8
1-4 Years 33 N/A 0 2 35
5-12 Years 30 0 1 2 33
13-15 Years 18 5 4 2 29
16-20 Years 51 16 17 10 94
Total for Ages 0-20 139 21 23 16 199
Shasta County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 5 N/A 2 0 7
1-4 Years 36 N/A 1 1 38
5-12 Years 22 0 0 0 22
13-15 Years 19 3 0 4 26
16-20 Years 53 13 6 8 80
Total for Ages 0-20 135 16 9 13 173
Sierra County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 0 N/A 0 0 0
1-4 Years 0 N/A 0 0 0
5-12 Years 0 0 0 0 0
13-15 Years 0 0 0 0 0
16-20 Years 1 0 0 0 1
Total for Ages 0-20 1 0 0 0 1
Siskiyou County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 1 N/A 0 0 1
1-4 Years 2 N/A 0 0 2
5-12 Years 4 0 0 0 4
13-15 Years 4 2 0 1 7
16-20 Years 8 3 1 0 12
Total for Ages 0-20 19 5 1 1 26
Solano County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 11 N/A 3 0 14
1-4 Years 27 N/A 1 0 28
5-12 Years 40 0 1 5 46
13-15 Years 24 4 4 3 35
16-20 Years 57 12 21 10 100
Total for Ages 0-20 159 16 30 18 223
Sonoma County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 9 N/A 0 0 9
1-4 Years 43 N/A 3 2 48
5-12 Years 61 0 0 1 62
13-15 Years 23 5 3 8 39
16-20 Years 72 15 10 11 108
Total for Ages 0-20 208 20 16 22 266
Stanislaus County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 15 N/A 0 0 15
1-4 Years 81 N/A 1 7 89
5-12 Years 77 2 2 5 86
13-15 Years 48 6 2 6 62
16-20 Years 87 16 37 16 156
Total for Ages 0-20 308 24 42 34 408
Sutter County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 5 N/A 1 0 6
1-4 Years 12 N/A 0 1 13
5-12 Years 19 1 0 0 20
13-15 Years 11 3 0 2 16
16-20 Years 24 4 7 5 40
Total for Ages 0-20 71 8 8 8 95
Tehama County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 3 N/A 1 0 4
1-4 Years 6 N/A 0 0 6
5-12 Years 8 0 0 0 8
13-15 Years 8 2 0 1 11
16-20 Years 13 2 3 1 19
Total for Ages 0-20 38 4 4 2 48
Trinity County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 0 N/A 0 0 0
1-4 Years 1 N/A 0 2 3
5-12 Years 2 0 0 0 2
13-15 Years 3 1 0 1 5
16-20 Years 1 0 0 0 1
Total for Ages 0-20 7 1 0 3 11
Tulare County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 18 N/A 4 1 23
1-4 Years 85 N/A 2 5 92
5-12 Years 102 0 0 9 111
13-15 Years 42 3 4 3 52
16-20 Years 99 14 34 10 157
Total for Ages 0-20 346 17 44 28 435
Tuolumne County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 0 N/A 0 1 1
1-4 Years 4 N/A 1 1 6
5-12 Years 7 0 0 0 7
13-15 Years 10 0 0 2 12
16-20 Years 21 3 2 2 28
Total for Ages 0-20 42 3 3 6 54
Ventura County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 26 N/A 1 2 29
1-4 Years 118 N/A 3 1 122
5-12 Years 123 1 1 3 128
13-15 Years 69 11 5 6 91
16-20 Years 200 44 54 30 328
Total for Ages 0-20 536 56 64 42 698
Yolo County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 7 N/A 0 0 7
1-4 Years 13 N/A 0 1 14
5-12 Years 23 1 0 0 24
13-15 Years 12 4 1 5 22
16-20 Years 43 12 5 13 73
Total for Ages 0-20 98 17 6 19 140
Yuba County Number
Age Unintentional Self-Inflicted Assault Other Total
Under Age 1 6 N/A 0 0 6
1-4 Years 8 N/A 1 0 9
5-12 Years 14 0 0 0 14
13-15 Years 8 1 2 0 11
16-20 Years 22 2 2 1 27
Total for Ages 0-20 58 3 5 1 67

Definition: Number of hospitalizations due to non-fatal injuries among children/youth ages 0-20, by age and cause.

Data Source: California Dept. of Public Health, California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, Patient Discharge Data. Accessed at http://epicenter.cdph.ca.gov/ (June 2012); CDC, WISQARS. Accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars (June 2012).

Footnote: These data are measured by the number of discharges from acute care hospitals for injuries among children. The leading causes of non-fatal injuries for children ages 0-20 are falls, motor vehicle accidents, assault, self-inflicted injury, or unintentionally being struck by an object. The most common types of self-inflicted, non-fatal injuries for children ages 0-20 include poisoning, and cutting or piercing. Data are excluded for injuries caused by "Legal Intervention/War, Undetermined Intent, and Late Effects."

Learn More About this Topic

Measures of Injuries on Kidsdata.org

The injury data on kidsdata.org are based on hospital discharges for injuries among children and youth ages 0-20. These data can be viewed as a number or a rate per 100,000. They also can be viewed as a number by age and cause. In addition, numbers and rates are provided for intentional (e.g., self-inflicted injuries or assault) and unintentional (e.g., car accidents, falls, etc.) injuries by age group. All data exclude fatal injuries.

Why This Topic Is Important

Injuries are the leading cause of death among children and youth ages 1-19 in California and the U.S., and these injuries often are preventable (1, 2). Unintentional injuries, in particular, such as car accidents and falls, are the top cause of death (1). In fact, nationwide, one of every five deaths among all children under age 20 is due to unintentional injuries (5). Of course, not all injuries result in death. Each year, about 9 million children and youth are treated in emergency rooms for unintentional injuries in the U.S. – that’s one every 4 seconds (1, 3, 4). Injury treatment is the leading cause of medical spending for children in the nation, costing nearly $11.5 billion each year (2, 5).

Intentional injuries, such as self-inflected harm or assault, are less common than unintentional injuries but still are among the leading causes of death for children ages 1-19, statewide and nationally (2, 6).

For more information on injuries, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section.

Sources cited for this narrative:

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Vital signs: Child injury. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/childinjury/?s_cid=bb-vitalsigns-120
  2. As cited on kidsdata.org, California Department of Public Health, Center for Health Statistics. (2012). Death rate, ages 1-4, 5-14, and 15-19, by leading cause. Retrieved from: http://www.kidsdata.org/data/topic/related.aspx?cat=49
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Protect the ones you love: Child injuries are preventable. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/index.html
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Childhood injury report: 5. Nonfatal unintentional injury estimates among children 0-19 years, United States, 2001-2006. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/SafeChild/ChildhoodInjuryReport/Chapter5_1.html
  5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Vital signs: Unintentional injury deaths among persons aged 0-19 years – United States, 2000-2009. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm61e0416a1.htm?s_cid=mm61e0416a1_w
  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Unintentional injuries, violence, and the health of young people. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/injury/pdf/facts.pdf

Policy Implications

Most leading causes of injuries for children/youth ages 0-20 are preventable, and many can be addressed by public policies focused on safety. California already has a number of laws in place to strengthen injury prevention. (1) In addition, “school connectedness,” which refers to students feeling that they are treated fairly, close to people, and safe at school, has been shown to be among the strongest protective factors in decreasing the risk of unintentional injury from causes like drinking and driving or not wearing a seat belt. (2)

According to research and subject experts, policies that could reduce injuries among children and youth include:

  • Enforcing existing motor vehicle safety laws, including those concerning seat belts, car seats, and drunk driving (3)
  • Preventing child abuse by promoting safe, stable, and nurturing relationships between caregivers and children through efforts such as home visiting programs, hospital-based education programs for new mothers, and comprehensive child development centers that provide resources for children and parents; and by addressing the social factors associated with child maltreatment (neighborhood economic stress, poverty, low parental education levels, etc.) (4)
  • Providing routine and accessible mental health screening and services to youth to address depression and prevent youth self-harm (5, 6)
  • Setting school policies that foster student connectedness with school (2)

For more policy ideas about injury prevention, see kidsdata.org's Research & Links section on this page or SafeKids USA. For more information on child abuse prevention, see the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Child Welfare Information Gateway. Also see Policy Implications on kidsdata.org under the topics School Connectedness, Suicide and Self-Inflicted Injury, Deaths, and Child Abuse.

Sources for this narrative:

  1.  Sacramento Advocacy. (n.d.). Issues and priorities – California Coalition for Children’s Health & Safety.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). School connectedness: Strategies for increasing protective factors among youth. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/adolescenthealth/pdf/connectedness.pdf
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2001). Recommendations to reduce injuries to motor vehicle occupants: Increasing child safety seat use, increasing safety belt use, and reducing alcohol-impaired driving. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK14104/
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Preventing child maltreatment through the promotion of safe, stable, nurturing relationships between children and caregivers. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/CM_Strategic_Direction--Long-a.pdf
  5. American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Mental Health. (2010). The Case for Routine Mental Health Screening. Pediatrics, 125(S3), S133-139. Retrieved from: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/125/Supplement_3.toc
  6. Mann, J. J., et al. (2005). Suicide prevention strategies: A systemic review. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 294(16), 2064-2074. Retrieved from: http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/294/16/2064.short

How Children Are Faring

In 2010, there were 30,442 hospitalizations for non-fatal injuries among children and youth ages 0-20 statewide. Although California rates consistently are higher than national figures, the statewide rate of hospitalizations for injuries among children and youth ages 0-20 decreased by 33% between 1993 and 2010, from 411.6 per 100,000 to 276.1. Among counties with available data, the rate of hospitalizations due to injuries ranged from 121.7 per 100,000 to 467.0 in 2010.

The number of unintentional injuries, which account for the majority of hospitalizations for injuries among children/youth, declined statewide from 31,798 in 1993 to 22,335 in 2010. In recent years, at the state and national level, rates of hospitalizations for unintentional injuries have been highest among youth ages 16-20. However, in 2010, the rate for children under age 1 in California surpassed the rate for youth ages 16-20. At the national level, though, rates of hospitalizations for unintentional injuries continued to be highest among youth ages 16-20 in 2010. The hospitalization rate for intentional injuries in California and the U.S. is highest among youth ages 16-20, followed by youth ages 13-15.