Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #115901

Karin Mack, PhD, Julie Gilchrist, MD, and Michael F. Ballesteros, PhD. NCIPC, DUIP, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy, NE, Mailstop K63, Atlanta, GA 30341, 770.488.4389, kmack@cdc.gov

Purpose This study describes injuries among young children who fall from bunk beds and are treated in US emergency departments (ED).

Methods Data came from the NEISS-AIP, a stratified probability sample of US hospitals with at least six beds and 24-hour emergency services. These data included diagnosis, body part injured, cause, age, and sex. From January 2001 through December 2002, a fall was the precipitating cause of injury for an estimated 3.5 million children aged 0–9 years treated in EDs. Cases of bunk bed fall-related injuries were extracted and estimates were weighted.

Results An estimated 14,800 infants and children aged 0–5 years and 8,900 children aged 6–9 years were treated annually in EDs for injuries related to falls from bunk beds. Commonly affected body regions were the head/neck (51.2%; 95% CI, 46.0%–56.4%); arm/hand (25.7%; 95% CI, 21.1%–30.9%); and the leg/foot (11.3%; 95% CI, 9.0%–14.1%). Injuries were mostly fractures (27.5%; 95% CI, 23.4%–32.1%); lacerations (23.2%; 95% CI, 18.8%–28.2%); contusions/abrasions (21.7%; 95% CI, 18.2%–25.7%); or internal injuries (12.9%; 95% CI, 9.5%–17.4%).

Conclusions Injuries related to falls from bunk beds continue to be a problem for children. Comments from case files revealed that children fell from both upper and lower bunks or ladders, struck objects or the floor, or fell through windows. Prevention strategies should include behavioral interventions (keeping young children off upper bunks/ladders) and environmental modifications (adding padding to carpet, removing hazards, adding night-lights, and positioning beds away from windows).

Learning Objectives: