Abstract

Introduction: In Korea, although more research has recently been devoted to injuries, child injuries remain largely uninvestigated. Although child injury studies have been conducted in Korea, few studies have investigated the associated mechanisms of injury. Accordingly, the underlying mechanisms and causes of whole-childhood injury have been rarely reported in recent studies. This study had two goals: to define the characteristics and mechanisms of child injuries, and to determine a more effective primary strategy for improving child safety.
Methods: The 2009 and 2013 National Emergency Department of Information System (NEDIS) and Cheonan Injury Surveillance System (CISS) datasets were used for this analysis. In the 2009 NEDIS dataset, the 0–6 years age group comprised 3,407 subjects, and the 7–14 years age group comprised 1,343 subjects; in the 2009 CISS dataset, the corresponding groups comprised 1,193 and 566 subjects, respectively. In the 2013 NEDIS and CISS datasets, the corresponding groups comprised 2,627 and 1,748 subjects, and 2,443 and 676 subjects, respectively.
Results and Discussion: First, the most common mechanisms of injury overall were a strike force from a person/object and a fall/slip. Second, the percentages of injury increased incrementally from 6:00 to 18:00–21:00, which represented the peak incidence. Third, the majority of injuries occurred in the children's homes, although as the age increased, the locations diversified to include schools/childcare facilities, outdoor environments, and federal roadways. Fourth, a unified child injury surveillance system should be constructed.
Conclusions: This paper describes the types and characteristics of child injuries. Parental commitment is a fundamental strategy for preventing such injuries.