Accidents in the first five years of life: A report from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Child Development Study

Langley, J., Dodge, J. and Silva, P. A. (1979). Aust. Paediatr. J. , 15, 255–259. Accidents in the first 5 years of life: a report from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Child Development Study. As part of a longitudinal study of child development, information was collected on all accidents during the first 5 years of life that required medical attention. Four hundred and eighty six of a sample of 991 children had 729 accidents in the first 5 years of life. Sixteen per cent of the children had two or more accidents. Ten per cent of the accidents resulted in a hospitalisation. The more common accidents, those involving falls, poisons, sharp objects, foreign bodies, being caught between objects, and hot substances or objects are described and discussed. We suggest that many accidents could have been prevented. A necessary prerequisite for improved prevention measures is the collection and study of detailed information on the circumstances surrounding accidents. A case is made for an organisation with primary responsibility to monitor the safety of consumer products.