Health board figures show Rotorua children's injuries

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More than 1200 Rotorua children were hospitalised due to injury in the past five years - with boys more likely to be injured than girls and those under 4 most at risk.

Children are most likely to be injured in a fall across all age groups up to 14, while home is by far the most dangerous place with 41 per cent of the injuries happening there.

The figures around child injuries in the Lakes District Health Board region were released by Safekids in a bid to highlight child safety issues.

For the five years covering 2008 to 2012, 1239 children in the district were hospitalised for an injury - about 247 children a year.

Of the kids injured, 44 per cent had fractures and 11 per cent had open wounds.

About 8 per cent had some sort of internal organ damage.

Figures covering 2006 and 2010 showed 25 kids died in the Lakes district from injury related causes - 10 of those from suffocation (which could include sudden unexpected death in infancy) - and six were from vehicle crashes.

Lakes District Health Board general manager for planning and funding, Mary Smith, said the figures weren't surprising, but the health board was committed to the health of children and helping minimise injuries.

" We have increased our service delivery and resources in the child health area since we became a DHB but particularly over the past five years.

"Most children and families were engaged in universal health services through midwives, youth health services, B4 School nurses and public health nurses.

"All the services provide messages and education to whanau during pregnancy and early childhood around child safety, injury and accident prevention, safety around the house, motor vehicles and playgrounds.

This includes practical support such as the storage of medicines around the house, gates on stairways and non-slip bathmats."

Ms Smith said extra work and resources had been put in to identifying children and families who were at risk or who had suffered from unintentional injuries.

"These children and families are provided with increased support and wrap around services."

Ms Smith said that included Family Violence Intervention Services and child protection where children, who are assessed of being at risk of injury, are referred for increased support.

That could include extra Well Child Tamariki Ora visits, Family Start, Children's Team and child protection services.

Ms Smith said regular reports on the health status of children in the district have formed the basis of a number of initiatives including ones around safe sleeping, pepi pods and maternal smoking, which they know are linked to the leading causes of death.

CHILD INJURIES IN THE LAKES AREA:
61 per cent of children hospitalised for an injury are boys.
0-4-year-olds make up 34 per cent of those injured.
The most common cause of injury is falls followed by poisoning in the under 4s.
41 per cent of injuries happen at home, with 16 per cent at school, 9 per cent outdoors or on a sports area, and 6 per cent on a road.