Injuries to preschool-age children in day-care centers. A retrospective record review.

OBJECTIVES

To increase our understanding of the epidemiologic nature of injuries to children in day-care settings by examining injury logs and to determine appropriate methods for calculating injury rates.

DESIGN

Retrospective, with data collected through a review of 1 year's records.

SETTING

Four suburban day-care centers in the upper Midwest.

PARTICIPANTS

Five hundred twenty-seven preschool-age children, 275 of whom experienced one or more injuries during the study period.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

Convenience sample.

MEASUREMENTS/RESULTS: Injury rates were calculated based on the number of hours spent in day care in the study year. More than 1000 injuries were reported for 527 children. Injury rates ranged from 0.006 to 0.049 per child per standardized 8-hour day in a day-care center (or six to 49 injuries per 1000 children per 8 hours of exposure). However, most injuries were minor, and none resulted in a fatality or hospital admission. Using this method, injury rates were examined by gender and month.

CONCLUSIONS

Future research should determine exposure time based on the actual number of hours a child spends in attendance to determine injury rates. Exposure time should also be carefully considered in determining product- and location-specific rates of injury.