ADHS
News Release:
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Motor Vehicle Accidents Cause Most Preventable Deaths Among Arizona Children, Report Finds |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Nov.
15, 2004 |
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| Contact: |
Michael Murphy, ADHS Public Information: (602)
542-1001
Dr. Mary Rimsza, Arizona Child Fatality Review Team Chair: (602) 738-3623 |
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Motor vehicle crashes killed 105 Arizona children in 2003, according to a new report that also found nine out of 10 of those deaths could have been prevented.
The Arizona Child Fatality Review Team study, published by the Arizona Department of Health Services, revealed that only one in five children who died as a result of riding or driving in a car or truck last year were using restraints.
“Motor vehicle accidents took a heavy toll on our children in 2003,” said Dr. Mary Rimsza, Arizona Childhood Fatality Review Team Chair. “The loss of these children is a serious public health concern.”
Overall, the report concluded the deaths of 240 Arizona children, or 26 percent of all child deaths, could have been prevented last year through the use of safety belts and infant restraints, secured pool fences, locked storage of guns, and other preventive practices.
The report includes recommendations for elected officials, other policy makers, and the Arizona public.
Because of the State Team's concerns about the number of deaths from motor vehicle accidents, the highlighted recommendations include: supporting legislation that will increase seat belt use by children and adults; supporting legislation to increase restrictions on teen driving; and messages to parents to model safe behaviors for children through their use of seat belts and always buckling up their children.
Additionally, drowning deaths continue to be a major cause of preventable deaths in young children. Twenty-eight children drowned in 2003, 14 were children under age 5 who died in backyard pools. The vast majority of these drowning deaths could have been prevented by better supervision of the child and secured pool fencing, the report stated.
The report is based on extensive reviews of 937 deaths of children under age 18 in 2003 by Arizona's child fatality review teams. Here's a closer look at the leading categories of preventable deaths:
Motor Vehicle Crashes: This is the leading cause of preventable deaths of children in 2003. This has consistently been the most common cause of preventable death of Arizona children, since the inception of the report in 1995.
SIDS: In 2003, 33 children died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. A major reason for the decrease in SIDS deaths is the American Academy of Pediatrics “Back to Sleep” Campaign, which encourages parents to put infants to sleep on their backs instead of on their stomachs. The number of deaths due to SIDS in Arizona continues to decrease. Part of the decrease may be due to increased identification of deaths due to suffocation, which may have been attributed to SIDS.
Drowning: There were 28 deaths due to drowning in 2003, 89 percent of theses deaths were determined to have been preventable. 16 children died in backyard pools. In 8 of these deaths, the pool was not fenced and in another three, the pool was fenced but the gate was not locked.
Smoke Inhalation and Burns: There were 2 fire/burn deaths in 2003.
Suffocation/Choking: In 2003, 19 infants died due to suffocation. Suffocation deaths included in this category were primarily the result of overlying during co-sleeping with adults or positional asphyxia. There were 3 deaths due to choking.
"While we have made progress in decreasing the number of preventable deaths in some categories such as SIDS, there is still much work to be done in preventing deaths due to unintentional injuries, especially motor vehicle crashes and drowning. It is my hope that we can all take action in our own communities to prevent such tragedies in the future." Dr. Rimsza said.
A copy of the full report is available at http://www.azdhs.gov/cfhs/azcf/download.htm
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