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.
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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