Important Facts for Child injury deaths

Definition

Injury deaths among children aged 0-17 due to all causes per 100,000 children (ICD-10 codes V01-Y36, Y85-Y87, Y89, *U01-*U03)

Numerator

Number of injury deaths among children aged 0-17 (ICD-10 codes V01-Y36, Y85-Y87, Y89, *U01-*U03)

Denominator

Total number of children aged 0-17 in the Utah population

Why Is This Important?

The death of a child is a tragedy for families and communities. Injury deaths are mostly preventable, yet they continue to account for the majority of child deaths (1-17) and a substantial portion of infant deaths (<1). From 2013 to 2022, injury deaths accounted for 1,077 (27.5%) of the 4,286 deaths among children aged 0-17. In addition to these deaths, thousands of other children were injured and treated in hospitals, doctor's offices, clinics, emergency departments, homes, schools, and work sites. From 2013 to 2022, the leading causes of injury death for children aged 0-17 in Utah were unintentional motor vehicle crashes, suffocation (suicides), self-inflicted firearms wounds (suicides), unintentional suffocation (infant safe sleep-related), and unintentional drowning/submersion. Preventing child injury deaths and ensuring safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for every child should always be a continued priority. Achieving this requires support from all levels of the socioecological model. Individuals, families, schools, neighbors, communities, and policymakers all have responsibilities in keeping Utah children safe and thriving. Safe behaviors should be taught, modeled, and enforced, safety equipment should be readily available, understood, and required, and every child should feel the support of caring adults around them to turn to in a crisis. High-priority prevention areas include suicide prevention, motor vehicle safety, safe sleep education, and firearm safety.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

According to national WISQARS data, the crude rate of child injury death in Utah (0-17) was lower than the national rate (11.66 vs 12.4 per 100,000) from 2012-2021.

What Is Being Done?

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Violence and Injury Prevention Program (VIPP) organizes the Child Fatality Review Committee (CFRC) a prevention-focused review of all child injury deaths in the state. Reports are released annually with data and recommendations for the prevention of child injury death that can be found on the VIPP website, [[br]][https://vipp.utah.gov/resources/resources-child-adolescent-injuries/].