Falls in Children and Youth: Hospitalizations

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Falls are the number one leading cause of hospitalized injury in the U.S. for children ages 0 through 14. This infographic has information on the frequency and causes of fall hospitalizations among children and youth. 

Download a print version of the infographic

 

Falls are the number one leading cause of hospitalized injury in the U.S. for children ages 0 through 14

1st: <1 year

1st: 1 through 4 years

1st: 5 through 9 years

1st: 10 through 14 years

4th: 15 through 19 years

Unintentional Fall Hospitalizations in U.S. by Age

Age Group

Number of Falls

<1 year

4,810

1 through 4 years

10,385

5 through 9 years

10,695

10 through 14 years

8,470

15 through 19 years

9,645

 

Unintentional Fall Hospitalizations in the U.S. by Age and Cause

 

<1 years

1-9 years

10-19 years

During sports

 

1%

7%

From furniture

45%

17%

3%

From recreational equipment*

 

3%

18%

On the playground

 

19%

4%

From steps/stairs

7%

6%

5%

From building/windows

 

4%

4%

Unspecified

11%

20%

25%

Other

37%

30%

34%

 

In 2012, hospitalizations due to unintentional falls among 0 through 19 year-olds resulted in $963 million in medical spending and $4 billion in work losses**

Source: National Inpatient Sample, 2012, Healthcare Utilization Project, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

To learn more about preventing falls, visit: http://childrenssafetynetwork.org/injury-topics/falls

February 2016

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Child and Adolescent Injury and Violence Prevention Resource Centers Cooperative Agreement (U49MC28422) for $1,199,428. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

 

* Recreational equipment includes scooters, roller skates, skateboards, skis, snowboards, and jumping/diving into water

** Work loss costs include short-term work loss and the value of wage and household work that a child will be unable to do if he or she is killed or permanently disabled. It also includes wages, fringe benefits and household work that parents are unable to do when caring for their child