December 12th, 2017
In 1979, of 4429 fatal injuries to children under five years of age, 52 percent were in and around the home.A 1974 study of consumer products estimated that two thirds of all childhood injuries and 91 percent of those to children less than five years of age take place in the home. Given the amount of time young children spend in their home environment, these figures are not surprising. The importance of the home environment in the causation of injuries has been recognized by numerous authors. Neutra and McFarland discuss the relationship of residential design and surroundings to burns, falls, poisonings, and pedestrian-related injuries. They cite crowded housing, inadequate play areas, glass doors, lack of fireproof housing materials, lack of fire detection systems, improper wiring, sharp corners, inadequate railings, and leaded paints as determinants of injuries.