Press releases

Released April 27, 1996
Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital news release

Students Offer Safety Advice
in Children's Hospital Book

For more information, contact Ken Best: (203) 688-2493 or E-mail Ken Best.

Students from throughout Connecticut offer sound advice on how other children can avoid accidents in Now I Know Better, a book on injury prevention published by Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital.

The book, edited by David Bachman, M.D., director of pediatric emergency medicine at the Children's Hospital, includes stories and safety advice from more than 65 Connecticut youngsters on topics ranging from dog bites and bee stings to bicycle and skating accidents to cuts, falls, poisoning and more.

In 1991, more than 21,000 children, aged 1 to 19 years old, died of injuries in the U.S.--from motor vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides, drownings, fires, burns and poisonings--according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost 22 million children in the U.S. are injured each year, with about 600,000 hospitalized for injuries. Nearly 16 million children are seen in emergency rooms for injuries.

Almost 700 students from throughout Connecticut wrote essays for the KidsCare About Safety program in November 1995. The young writers tell about accidents they witnessed or experienced and they provide advice on how similar accidents could be avoided.

"I learned my lesson the hard way," writes an 11-year-old who fell while on in-line skates. "Always wear a helmet!"

A 13-year-old described how a friend wanted to race across a busy city street. "BOOM! He got hit. He flew about ten stories high and came back down and broke a leg," she wrote. "My advice is don't go running across the street. Look both ways and don't make a dangerous bet."

"What I am trying to tell you is that guns are bad; they are not something to take lightly," writes a 14-year-old, who described a tragic incident in which some youngsters were playing with a loaded gun. "A bullet does not always hit the people or thing it was intended for; in other words, a bullet does not have a name on it."

Essays were selected for the book following a review by members of the Pediatric Emergency Department at the Children's Hospital. The book also includes advice from medical staff to augment the advice of the youngsters.

"Since kids often listen to kids before they listen to adults, we think these messages from youngster to youngster will catch their attention and lead to safer behavior," Dr. Bachman said. "We were very impressed with the good advice in these essays and hope youngsters read these stories and take the messages to heart."

Now I Know Better will be available in select book stores by mid-May and by mail from Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. Copies will be donated to Connecticut schools by the Children's Hospital. For more information, call (203) 688-2488.

The Pediatric Emergency Department--the first in Connecticut--opened in July 1993 along with Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. About 20,000 youngsters have been seen each year in the department since its opening.

Millbrook Press, a Brookfield, Conn., publisher, is printing an edition of Now I Know Better for national distribution to libraries, schools and bookstores. Its suggested retail price is $7.95.

Facts About Children's Injuries

• Almost 22 million children in the U.S. are injured each year, according to the Children's Safety Network.
• Over a two-year period, about 80 percent of elementary school children will see a school nurse for injury-related complaints.
• In 1991, more than 21,000 children aged 1 to 19 years old died of injuries in the U.S.--from motor vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides, drownings, fires, burns and poisonings--according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Each year about 600,000 are hospitalized for injuries and nearly 16 million children are seen in emergency rooms for injuries.
• More than 50,000 children suffer permanent disabilities from injuries each year.
• Ten to 20 percent of all injuries to children and youth occur in and around schools, according to the National Pediatric Trauma Registry.
• Nearly half of all injuries occurred among 10 to 14 year olds, and males were injured more than twice as often as females (71 percent to 29 percent). Falls were the most frequent cause of injury (46 percent), followed by sports activities (30 percent) and assaults (10 percent). Violence--gunshots, beatings, stabbings--accounted for 10 percent of school-related injuries.

Information based on data from the Children's Safety Network, National Pediatric Trauma Registry and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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