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. 2022 May 1;149(Suppl 5):e2021053852J.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-053852J.

Preventing Unintentional Injuries in School-Aged Children: A Systematic Review

Lama Bou-Karroum  1   2 , Fadi El-Jardali  1   2   3 , Mathilda Jabbour  1   2 , Aya Harb  1   2 , Racha Fadlallah  1   2 , Nour Hemadi  1   2 , Samar Al-Hajj  1
Affiliations

Preventing Unintentional Injuries in School-Aged Children: A Systematic Review

Lama Bou-Karroum et al. Pediatrics. .

Abstract

Background and objectives: Unintentional injuries constitute the leading causes of death and long-term disabilities among children aged 5 to 15 years. We aimed to systematically review published literature on interventions designed to prevent unintentional injuries among school-aged children.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, and PsycINFO and screened the reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews. We included randomized controlled trials, controlled before-and-after studies, and interrupted time series studies. The focus of included studies was on primary prevention measures. Two reviewers collected data on type of study design, setting, population, intervention, types of injuries, outcomes assessed, and statistical results.

Results: Of 30 179 identified studies, 117 were included in this review. Most of these studies were conducted in high-income countries and addressed traffic-related injuries. Evidence from included studies reveals that multicomponent educational interventions may be effective in improving safety knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in school-aged children mainly when coupled with other approaches. Laws/legislation were shown to be effective in increasing cycle helmet use and reducing traffic-related injury rates. Findings reveal the relevance of infrastructure modification in reducing falls and improving pedestrian safety among children.

Conclusions: Additional studies are needed to evaluate the impact of unintentional injury prevention interventions on injury, hospitalizations, and mortality rates and the impact of laws and legislation and infrastructure modification on preventing unintentional injuries among school-aged children.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures:

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Selection Process Flowchart
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Risk of bias graph of RCTs
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
Risk of bias graph of CBA studies
Figure 4:
Figure 4:
Risk of bias graph of ITS
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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