Headlines - Accidents Among Kindergarten Graduates in Metropolitan France in 2005–2006

A report published by the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) on September 3 describes accidents involving children in the final year of preschool (GSM), mostly aged 6, based on a school-based survey conducted in 2005–2006. This survey is part of a series of school-based surveys conducted by the ministries of National Education and Health, along with the InVS, to gather regular information on children’s health at the national level. Accident incidence rates were calculated, the circumstances of accidents and their consequences were described, and risk factors were identified. Among the 22,000 children surveyed, 4% had been involved in an accident during the previous three months: 4.3% of boys and 2.8% of girls. Most of these accidents, 96%, were accidents of daily life (ADL), while 4% were traffic accidents. LDAs occurred primarily at home (38%); they were mostly falls (68%); the head was involved in 58% of cases; injuries were predominantly lacerations (52%) and fractures (23%). Two-thirds of those injured sought emergency care; less than half were limited in their activities after the accident, and 5% were hospitalized. The children most frequently involved in accidents were those from large families (3 or more children), who often played outdoors, watched less television (less than 3 hours per day on days without school), were male, or whose mothers were not manual laborers. This study highlights the importance of supervision in the home environment (where most everyday accidents occur) and the fact that these accidents are more frequent in large families. It is important that these concepts be incorporated into prevention messages, at this pivotal age when children are learning to read, write, and count—and while they certainly become more independent as a result, they are still entirely dependent on the close supervision that adults must provide.Complementing previous surveys conducted among fifth-grade and ninth-grade students, these results provide a better understanding of the circumstances and specific characteristics of accidents occurring in this age group. Changes can be measured using the 2012–2013 survey, which was also conducted in kindergarten.