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Evidence summaries

Preventing Injury in Children and Young People

The most effective interventions in the prevention of injury are those that have used changes in the environment or combination of approaches including environmental change, legislation and education. Educational approaches alone are less effective. Level of evidence: "A"

A systematic review 1 including 92 studies was abstracted in DARE. Community-wide campaigns that use local injury data have resulted in reduction in the incidence of injuries in the home. Specific equipment found to be effective were smoke detectors and child resistant containers. School-based promotion of cycle helmets, educational efforts at promoting safe driving behaviour and random breath testing have all met with some success. Traffic calming schemes have demonstrated some reductions in pedestrian fatalities. Cycle helmets, motorcycle helmets, car restraints and airbags lead to reduction in injuries. Poolside fences reduce the risk of infants drowning in domestic swimming pools.

Another systematic review 2 abstracted in DAREincluded 84 studies on road injuries, 14 studies of home and work injuries, 34 studies on sports and leisure injuries, 9 cost-effectiveness studies, and 2 reviews of the literature. The subjects were 15 - 24 years of age. The most effective interventions were legislative or regulative controls that in road, sports and workplace settings are associated with fewer accidental injuries. Interventions that were not shown to be effective were formal enhanced pre-car licence driver training and education, periodic motor vehicle safety checks and random roadside inspections, driver improvement programs for problem drivers.

References

  • Speller V, Mulligan JA, Law C, Foot B. Preventing injury in children and young people: a review of the literature and current practice. Wessex Institute of Public Health Medicine 1995;1-61. [DARE]
  • Coleman P, Munro J, Nicholl J, Harper R, Kent G, Wild D. The effectiveness of interventions to prevent accidental injury to young persons aged 15 - 24 years: a review of the evidence. Medical Care Research Unit 1996, pp. 1-89. [DARE]

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