Pediatric falls from windows and balconies: incidents and risk factors as reported by newspapers in the United Arab Emirates
Open Access
- 16 October 2017
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in World Journal of Emergency Surgery
- Vol. 12 (1), 1-6
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s13017-017-0156-z
Abstract
Falls of children from heights (balconies and windows) usually result in severe injuries and death. Details on child falls from heights in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are not easily accessible. Our aim was to assess the incidents, personal, and environmental risk factors for pediatric falls from windows/balconies using newspaper clippings. We used a retrospective study design to electronically assess all major UAE national Arabic and English newspapers for reports of unintentional child falls from windows and balconies during 2005–2016. A structured data collection form was developed to collect information. Data were entered into an Excel sheet and descriptive analysis was performed. Newspaper clippings documented 96 fall incidents. After cleaning the data and excluding duplicate cases and intentional injuries, 81 cases were included into the final analysis. Fifty-three percent (n = 42) were boys. The mean (range) age was 4.9 years (1–15). Thirty-eight (47%) children fell from windows and 36 (44%) from balconies. Twenty-two (27%) children climbed on the furniture placed on a balcony or close to a window. Twenty-five (31%) children were not alone in the apartment when they fell. Twenty-nine children fell from less than 5 floors (37%), 33 from 5 to 10 floors (42%) and 16 from more than 10 floors (21%). Fifteen children (19%) were hospitalized and survived the fall incident, while 66 died (81%). Newspapers proved to be useful to study pediatric falls from heights. It is necessary to improve window safety by installing window guards and raising awareness.Keywords
Funding Information
- United Arab Emirates University (UPAR UAE University grant (No.31M128), SURE UAE University grant (No. 31M225-SURE 2015))
This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit:
- Epidemiology, morbidity and mortality from fall-related injuries in the United Arab EmiratesScandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, 2014
- Epidemiology of high falls from windows in children.2014
- Home and Other Nontraffic Injuries Among Children and Youth in a High-Income Middle Eastern CountryAsia-Pacific journal of public health, 2011
- Defenestration in children younger than 6 years old: mortality predictors in severe head traumaChild's Nervous System, 2009
- Drowning in a high-income developing country in the Middle East: Newspapers as an essential resource for injury surveillanceJournal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2009
- Risk factors for unintentional injuries due to falls in children aged 0-6 years: a systematic reviewInjury Prevention, 2006
- Child and adolescent injury as a result of falls from buildings and structuresInjury Prevention, 2005
- Pediatric window falls: not just a problem for children in high risesInjury Prevention, 2005
- Childhood injuries due to falls from apartment balconies and windowsInjury Prevention, 2003
- Children can't fly: a program to prevent childhood morbidity and mortality from window falls.American Journal of Public Health, 1977