Injuries to preschool children and infection control practices in childcare programs.

Injuries represent the leading cause of death for children aged 0 to 12 years, and exposure to blood or bodily fluids at the time of injury may pose a health and safety problem. More than 800,000 injuries were reported in 2000, and many occurred in childcare programs. This survey examined rate, type, and extent of injuries in centers and the infection control practices employed by staff. Participants included 131 children aged six weeks to seven years, enrolled in two childcare programs in an urban setting. Eight hundred ninety-seven injury reports with 1,023 (126 simultaneous) injuries were recorded over a one-year period. Results indicated the majority of injuries (39%) were for bites and 11% were self-inflicted. Injuries were classified as minor (99%) or moderate (1%) with 73% receiving first aid by staff. Bleeding from injuries was minimal in 14% of injuries, while no injuries reported moderate or severe bleeding. The rate of medically attended (first aid treatment) injury was 5.31 per 100,000 child hours. Injury rates decreased with age in the center (P = .001), were higher for males (P = .036), and occurred most frequently in the morning (P = .001). Age, gender, and time of the day were significant predictors of injuries in the multivariate model.