1. WELCOME! Okanogan County SAFE KIDS Crystal Fowler
Safe Kids Coordinator / Tobacco Coordinator / Health Educator
Okanogan County Public Health
Business Cards

2. Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Overview
Safe Kids Worldwide is a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent unintentional childhood injury, a leading killer of children 14 and under.
More than 450 coalitions in 16 countries bring together health and safety experts and educators to protect families.

3. Member Countries Okanogan County SAFE KIDS Australia Austria Canada
Japan
Brazil
Germany
Israel
China
The red is where SK exists currently
The red squiggly lines show where there is interest
Korea
Philippines
Uganda
United States
New Zealand
South Africa
United Arab Emirates
Vietnam

4. Grassroots Strength Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
More than 600 SAFE KIDS coalitions and chapters in all 50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
The National SK Campaign started in 1989 in Washington DC out of Children’s Hospital there. Through the growth of the National Campaign and local coalitions we have more than 600 coalitions and chapters today.

5. Washington State Coalitions
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Washington State Coalitions
One State Coalition, 11 National Coalitions, 4 State Chapters
Okanogan County Public Health has just been designated the lead agency for Safe Kids Okanogan County. This slide does not yet reflect the addition of Okanogan County to Washington.

6. Injury Types There are also two types of injury.
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Injury Types
There are also two types of injury.
Unintentional: resulting from an accident
Intentional: resulting from assault, abuse, or suicide
Safe Kids focuses on UNINTENTIONAL injuries, likewise that will be the focus of this presentation.

7. Injury Mechanisms Injuries are caused by two different mechanisms.
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Injury Mechanisms
Injuries are caused by two different mechanisms.
Exposure to energy: either through a direct energy source, like heat or electricity, or through the energy created by a crash or a fall
Absence of essentials for life: such as heat or oxygen, as in the case of drowning
I think that it is important to be reminded of how injury occurs.

8. Preventing Unintentional Childhood Injury
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Preventing Unintentional Childhood Injury
In the US, unintentional injury is the number one cause of death among children ages 14 and under.
More children die from unintentional injury than from cancer, heart disease, and birth defects.
1 out of every 5 US children will need medical attention for an unintentional injury this year.

9. Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
More than 5,600 children die annually from these causes.
14 million other children are injured.
Of all hospitalizations for unintentional injury among children more than 16% result in permanent disability.
Source: CDC/NCHS/NVSS, 1998

10. Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
More than 60% of unintentional injury deaths result from
motor vehicle injuries, drowning and pedestrian injuries.
The leading causes of unintentional injury death among children ages 14 and under are:
Motor Vehicle Occupant
Drowning
Pedestrian
Airway Obstruction
Fire and Burns
Bicycle
Firearms
Falls
Poisoning
Source: CDC/NCHS/NVSS, 1998

11. Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Leading Causes of Unintentional Injuries Resulting in HOSPITAL VISITS by Children 14 and under
Falls
“Struck by and against”
Overexertion
Injuries where a child is cut or pierced
Bites or stings

12. Safe Kids Risk Areas Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Motor vehicle occupant injury
Drowning, including near-drowning
Pedestrian injury
Airway obstruction injury (suffocation, strangulation and choking)
Fires and burns
Bicycle-related injuries
Unintentional firearm injuries
Falls
Poisoning
Sports and recreation-related injury
Safe Kids has grouped these leading causes into the following areas of concentration, known as “risk areas.”

13. Why Are Children Injured
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Why Are Children Injured
Their bodies are smaller and more fragile
Their state of cognitive development
Their motor coordination and reflexes
Their limited life experience
(1) Their bodies are smaller and more fragile, so events that would not harm adults may injure them. For example, children have thinner skin and therefore can be scalded at much lower temperatures than adults. (2) Their state of cognitive development affects their risk of injury. Younger children are more vulnerable to pedestrian injuries because they believe that oncoming vehicles will see them and stop. (3) Their motor coordination and reflexes are not as well developed as those of adults. For example, younger children may not be able to respond quickly enough to a hazard while riding bicycles. They also have more restricted fields of vision, so they don’t see danger as well or as quickly. A child making a turn on a bike may not see that he is about to turn into the path of an oncoming car. (4) Children also have limited life experience, which makes them less able to make judgments about hazardous situations. If a fire breaks out at home, a child may hide in a closet or under a bed instead of trying to escape.

14. Which Children are at Risk?
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Which Children are at Risk?
Males, who are injured more often than females
Native American and African-American children, who generally have the highest death rates from unintentional injury (Asian-Americans have the lowest)
Children from economically disadvantaged families
Research has documented higher rates of unintentional injury among certain groups of children including…
REVIEW SLIDE
Also, children living in rural areas have a higher injury death rate than children in the population as a whole.
WHY?
DISCUSSION
Thoughts are that in rural areas emergency transport is longer in distance and time.

15. Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Age as a Factor
Under age 1 = airway obstruction is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death
1 – 4 = drowning
5 – 14 = motor vehicle occupant injuries
A child’s age affects the injuries for which he or she is most at risk.

16. Factors that influence injury occurrence
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Factors that influence injury occurrence
Host – the characteristics of the person who is injured (e.g. the child)
Agent – the means by which the injury takes place (e.g. the plastic bag that denies oxygen to the child)
Environment – the setting within which the injury occurs (e.g. the presence of an open and unbarred window through which a child can fall)

17. Injury Control Prevention Acute Care Rehabilitation
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Injury Control
Prevention
Acute Care
Rehabilitation
There are three different ways to minimize the impact of injuries.
Prevention – accomplished by either reducing the amount of injury-causing energy that is transferred to the body or ensuring that essentials for life are not removed. Examples include reducing the temperature setting on a water heater to less than 120 degrees F, which increases the time it takes for a child to be scalded, or increasing supervision of children who are swimming to reduce the likelihood of drowning. Prevention is the approach that Safe Kids takes.
Acute Care – providing timely medical treatment to the injured person
Rehabilitation – restoring function to the injured person

18. Prevention This problem does have a solution, it is PREVENTION.
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Prevention
This problem does have a solution, it is PREVENTION.
Injuries are NOT random. They occur in predictable patterns, many of which are based on the child’s age, sex, the time of day, and season of year.
For example, infants are more likely to drown in bathtubs than older children, males are at higher risk for injuries than females, and bicycle-related injuries increase during the spring and summer months.

19. Make it a Safe Kids summer!
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Make it a Safe Kids summer!
Summer is the most dangerous time of year for kids.
Children will be rushed to emergency rooms nearly 3 million times this summer. Don’t let your child be one of them!
“Trauma Season” = May to Aug

20. Summer Focuses Ride Safe Swim Safe Wheel Safe Walk Safe Play Safe
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Summer Focuses
Ride Safe
Swim Safe
Wheel Safe
Walk Safe
Play Safe

21. Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Ride Safe
I make sure that all my kids have their own child safety seat or safety belt that’s appropriate for their age and size, and that they sit in a back seat.
I study both my vehicle owner and car seat manuals carefully.

22. Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Swim Safe
I always supervise young children near water, including pools, spas, toilets, bathtubs and buckets.
We wear personal floatation devices when out on boats, near open bodies of water or participating in water sports.

23. Water Safety Checklist
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Water Safety Checklist
Never leave children alone near water
Tell children never to run, push, or jump on others around water
Learn infant and child CPR
Children should always wear US Coast Guard approved life jackets
Inflatable inner tubes and “water wings” are not safety devices
Keep toilet lids down
Keep doors to bathrooms and laundry rooms closed
Children in baby bath seats and rings must be within arm’s reach every second
Teach children to swim after age 4
Make sure children swim within designated swimming areas of rivers, lakes, and oceans

24. Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Wheel Safe
My kids wear properly fitting helmets and other protective gear every time they ride their bikes, scooters, in-line skates or skateboards.
My children know the rules of the road and obey all traffic laws.

25. Walk Safe I never let children under age 10 cross the street alone.
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Walk Safe
I never let children under age 10 cross the street alone.
My kids wear reflective materials and carry a flashlight when it’s dark, at dawn and at dusk.

26. Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Play Safe
I supervise my children at playgrounds and make sure there is a safe surface such as mulch, gravel, rubber or fine sand.
My kids always wear the right, properly fitted protective gear when they practice and play team sports.

27. The Solution Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
A Comprehensive Approach to Injury Prevention
Education—We increase knowledge and change behavior with consumer communications, media campaigns, retail promotions and community-based activities.
Empowerment—We empower parents and communities to take responsibility for their children’s safety by fueling a national
grassroots network.
Environment—We increase the quality of children’s lives by enhancing design, development and distribution of safety products, and by improving the environment where children live and play.
Enactment—We work to pass, strengthen and enforce laws, and encourage the development of voluntary safety standards and guidelines to protect children.
Evaluation—We determine the most effective behavior-changing strategies and programs through research, data collection and surveillance.

28. Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Making a Difference! Decline in the Child Injury Death Rate Since the Safe Kids Campaign Launch in 1987
Nearly 40%
We do have some good news to report. Over the past 15 years the death rate in the US has declined. Think of all of the changes in safety over the past 15 years.
Smoke alarms in almost every home – they have become the norm
Seat belt usage – has definitely changed
Recalled products – baby walkers,
Now SK cannot take all the credit for the decline in injury death rate, but as you can see as more grassroots organizations, coalitions, education and prevention strategies are employed the injury death rate declines.
Source: CDC/NCHS/NVSS, 1999
*Note: Injury Coding Changes Occurred between 1998 and 1999

29. Economic Impact Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Injury is the leading cause of medical spending for children ages 5-14.
Annual lifetime cost of child injury is nearly $157 billion, which includes $5 billion in direct medical costs, $3.3 billion in future earnings lost and $148 billion in lost quality of life.
Reference:
Children’s Safety Network, 1996
Costs of Injury by Major Cause, 1995

30. Economic Impact (cont.)
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Economic Impact (cont.)
Every $1 spent on a child safety seat saves $32 in direct medical costs and other costs to society
Every $1 spent on a bicycle helmet saves $30 in direct medical costs and other costs to society
Every $1 spent on a smoke alarm saves $69 in fire-related costs
Reference:
Children’s Safety Network, 1996

31. Partnerships with Federal Agencies
Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Partnerships with Federal Agencies
United States Fire Administration
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

32. Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
Corporate Sponsors

33. Okanogan County SAFE KIDS
THANK YOU !