Falls, traffic accidents, burns, poisoning ... We always think that happens to others, until it is we or our children who suffer from any of these accidents. We must be very aware that the danger is everywhere and, while not obsessing or causing our children to live in a bubble, at least take risks into account and be cautious. In this sense, The Guide for Parents to Prevent Unintentional Injuries in Children It can be a great help.
This is a guide published by the Spanish Association of Pediatrics to help prevent and thus reduce the consequences of unintentional injuries in children. And, far from being anecdotal, unintentional injuries constitute the first cause of death in childhood between the ages of five and 18 in the European Union. In Spain, the most frequent causes of accidental injury are falls and rainfall (35.6%), followed by traffic accidents (23.7%, either due to abuse in children aged four to eight years, as well as occupants of vehicles or motorcycles in teenagers).
Preschoolers are frequent victims of domestic accidents, falls, precipitation from height, drowning, burns and poisoning. Unintentional injuries are also the main cause of pain, suffering and disability that, throughout life, can have serious consequences on the physical, psychological and social development of the injured child.
The Guide for Parents on the Prevention of Unintentional Injuries in Children It has been prepared by health professionals, among others, the members of the Committee of Safety and Prevention of Unintentional Injuries of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics. It has been presented at the last AEP congress and we tell you briefly what it is.
Guide for parents on the prevention of unintentional injuries in children's age
The Guide is quite extensive (more than 200 pages, you can download it in pdf. From this link), and it is divided into five different chapters that deal with different topics:
- Socio-sanitary importance of unintended injuries in childhood.
- Main accidents: falls, burns, drowning, suffocation and strangulation, poisoning, bites and stings, foreign body, traffic.
- Main accidents by age (It is very good to consult according to the years our children have).
- Dangers in ... home, street, sports, a fire.
- First aid (great section because, as we said recently, parents are not well prepared to care for injured children).
Some of these chapters include bibliography for more information. They are visually attractive (they include many graphics, tables, photographs ...) and are written in a close way so that the information reaches parents and all those who are in the environment of children: caregivers, grandparents, children center staff ...
Definitely, I recommend you read the Guide for parents on the prevention of unintentional injuries in children's age, because although they are often called "accidents" we should not have the impression that they are unavoidable, since the greatest advantage in this field is to be aware of the risks, prevention and correct action if some unintended injury finally occurs.
