Accidents among children below school age. Changes of incidence after intervention.

Children aged 0 to 6 years old admitted to hospital due to an accident were registered. Registration was carried out for two yearly periods; September 1982 to September 1983 and June 1985 to June 1986. The incidence of accidents dropped from 125 per 1,000 a year to 116 accidents per 1,000 children a year. The youngest children showed the most significant decrease in incidence. Home accidents were the most common type of accidents in both registration periods. Accidents due to falling from heights and poisoning accidents increased in the second period. Children injured during the second registration period required 3.4 times fewer days of hospitalization compared with the first period. Fractures and thermal injuries demanded most hospital care in both registration periods.