Unintentional injuries in child care centers in the United States

Abstract

The study systematically reviewed all types of unintentional injury and injury prevention research studies occurring within child care centers in the United States. A total of 2 reviewers searched 11 electronic databases to identify 53 articles meeting inclusion criteria. No studies used trauma registries or randomized control trials. Data were not pooled for further analysis because studies lacked standardized definitions for injury, rates, severity, exposure, and demographics. The following child care center injury rates were reported: (0.25–5.31 injuries per 100,000 child-hours); (11.3–18 injuries per 100 children per year); (6–49 injuries per 1000 child-years); (2.5–8.29 injuries per child-year); (2.6–3.3 injuries per child); (3.3–6.3 injuries per 100 observations); (635–835 medically attended injuries per year per 100,000 children and 271–364 child care center playground injuries per year per 100,000 children); and (3.8 injuries per child per 2000 exposure hours). Child care center injury rates were comparable to injury rates published for schools, playground, and summer camp. Most injuries were minor, while most severe injuries (fractures and concussions) were falls from playground structures. Future studies need to use standardized injury definitions and injury severity scales, focus efforts on preventing severe playground injuries in child care centers, and report child care parameters for inclusion in national injury databases.