Injuries among children and young people

The most common unintentional injuries requiring hospital care among children and young people are falls and sports injuries. Similarly, road traffic accidents and poisonings are the most common underlying causes of deaths due to injuries among children and young people.

In Finland, accidents are the most significant preventable cause of death during childhood and youth. However, deaths caused by injuries have declined considerably over the long term among those under 25 years of age. The number of patients requiring hospital care due to injuries, on the other hand, has remained at the same level. 

This section contains information on preventing injuries involving children and young people and on promoting safety. In this context, the terms children and young people refer to people aged under 25.

The data is based on the programme Safely at All Ages: Programme for the Prevention of Home and Leisure Injuries 2021–2030. A total of 89 measures have been included in the programme, 22 of which have been specifically targeted at the injury prevention among children and young people. 

Read more about the Safely at All Ages: Programme for the Prevention of Home and Leisure Injuries 2021–2030

Contents of this page:

• Children and young people have the right to a safe living environment
• Childhood experiences affect one's entire life
• Accidental falls
• Poisonings
• Road traffic accidents
• Drowning
• Fire safety
• Family and friends as safety promoters
• Work carried out in different operating environments, schools and educational institutions

Children and young people have the right to a safe living environment

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that safety is a fundamental right for every child and young person.

Adults are responsible for ensuring that children are able to grow, move around and develop safely in their living environment.

The safety of children and young people may be undermined by

• injuries and violence
• shortcomings in basic care and nurture 
• lack of safety in their surroundings that can result from various causes. 

Childhood experiences affect one's entire life

Childhood experiences have a long-term impact on a person’s entire course of life and later health. 

The greater the number of harmful experiences during childhood and youth, the greater the risk of exclusion and low socio-economic status in adulthood. The costs resulting from this process are also significant for society as a whole. 

Accidental falls

Among children and those aged under 25, accidental falls from the same level or from height cause the greatest need for inpatient care.

• Falls requiring inpatient care occur more often to boys than to girls.
• Most falls occur while engaged in physical exercise.
• Fatal falls are relatively rare in children and young people.

What measures can be taken to prevent falls?

Regular physical activity promotes the development of children's and young people's physical skills. According to the research, improving balance helps prevent falls.

A safe environment provides stimuli that activate the person to move around. The safety of the built environment can be promoted effectively by pre-emptive action and by paying attention to safety already at the planning stage. 

Attention must be paid to risks of falling and their prevention in various operating environments, including child health clinics, school health care and sports clubs.

Poisonings

The risk of hospitalisation due to poisoning is highest for young children under the age of 5 and young people. 

Among children under 15 years of age, there have been no deaths from poisoning for over 10 years. Deaths from poisoning among these younger children have been significantly reduced by

• legislative amendments, such as mandatory safety caps for detergents and chemical products
• the handling of urgent situations via the Poison Information Centre. 

Due to the different origins of poisoning incidents, similar measures have not reduced deaths from poisoning among young people age 15 to 24 years. 

• In the 15–24 age group, poisoning is the second largest cause of injuries -related to deaths. 
• Underlying these deaths is often the use of intoxicants and self-destructive behaviour.
• Every year, several hundred people aged under 25 receive hospital inpatient care because of accidental and self-inflicted poisoning.

What measures are taken to prevent poisonings?

The key to preventing poisonings among small children is the storage of chemicals, medicines and vitamins out of children’s reach and, where possible, in their child-safe, original packaging. 

The methods used by child health clinic to reduce poisonings in infancy include:

• parenting support
• discussions on home safety
• up-to-date information for parents 
• observations made while visiting homes.

Key factors in the prevention of poisonings among young people include: 

• examining the background issues in young people's substance use
• early identification of potential problems
• advice and support. 

In particular, it is important for provide young people in vulnerable situations with easily accessible, low-threshold support and assistance.

Road traffic accidents

In Finland, road traffic accidents cause the greatest number of accident-related deaths of persons under 25 years of age and the second highest number of injuries related to hospital stays.

• The guardians and other adults in the immediate vicinity are particularly responsible for the road safety of those aged under 7.
• Young people often exhibit high-risk behaviour on the roads, including high driving speeds and drunk driving.
• The risk of a young man dying at the wheel is many times greater than that of a young woman.

How can we improve road safety among children and young people?

According to the Safely at All Ages 2021–2030 programme, the key methods for improving road safety among children are

• reducing speeds
• 30 km/h speed limits in urban areas 
• use of safety devices.

The key role of parents or guardians in ensuring the safety of small children under the age of 7 is particularly prominent in the use of safety and protective equipment and in safety education. 

In the prevention of road traffic accidents among young people, it is important to reduce high-risk behaviour such as 

• use of alcohol and other intoxicants 
• failure to use safety equipment. 

Reducing driving speeds in urban areas reduces injuries to pedestrians, cyclists and mopeds.

Education aimed at parents and safety education that starts early enables the establishment of principles that promote traffic safety as well as safe ways of behaving that last a lifetime.

Drowning

Drowning is one of the most common causes of death among children under school age. In addition, falling into water results in hospital inpatient care particularly among children under school age.

Cases of drowning among under 18s are usually situations where the child has accidentally ended up in deep water – typically they fell into the water or went paddling or swimming in water that is too deep. 

In cases of drowning of young people, the situations usually involve ending up in deep water when under the influence of alcohol or going boating without lifejackets.

Comparing under-25s by gender, there are more drownings among boys and young men than among girls and young women.

Water safety education among children and young people

Early swimming skills and parental education play a key role in preventing drowning among children and young people.

Children under school age need active, careful and continuous supervision by a parent or other adult when they are in or around water.

In swimming instruction and water safety education for children and young people, particular attention should be paid to 

• raising awareness among parents of small children of the risks and need for supervision when in the vicinity of water
• young people's knowledge and skills in water traffic safety 
• prevention of substance abuse
• children and young people in need of special support. 

In child health clinic services, early childhood education and care, and educational institutions, it is important to maintain and improve the informing of parents on the dangers of water and the importance of acquiring swimming skills. 

Swimming skills promote safety throughout life. They give children and young people a better chance of survival if they end up in deep water.

Fire safety

Approximately 50 building fires per year result from the actions of children or animals. Wildfires also endanger personal safety, and approximately 50–125 wildfires per year are caused by children's use of fire. 

Fire deaths have decreased significantly

Fire deaths have decreased significantly in recent years at the national level. This development has been influenced by a number of structural security measures, such as improving fire exit safety and safety technology. 

In addition, the reduction in the number of fire deaths has been influenced by 

• information provided by the rescue departments’ fire investigations
• targeted safety communications 
• monitoring activities. 

How can we improve fire safety among children and young people?

Fire safety can be promoted on a regular basis through repeated training in different operating environments, with a particular focus on pupils in basic education. Such training can utilise existing learning materials and also develop new ones.

Fire safety education among children and young people:

• Early childhood education and care: fire safety theme days
• Basic education: fire safety theme days and participation in the NouHäta! campaign
• Secondary and higher education: fire safety as part of study orientation.

Family and friends as safety promoters

Helping and caring for someone close to them is part of everyday life for many children and young people.

The situations of families, children and young people vary considerably. A family member may have different diseases, addictions or other support needs that have a comprehensive impact on everyone's lives.

When there is too much strain in everyday life, it may not be possible to sufficiently take care of or take note of safety matters. In such cases, the risks of injuries  and violence increase.

The child's safe growth environment must be safeguarded in all situations 

The various state and municipal actors must: 

• safeguard the best interests of the child and their safe growth environment in all situations
• provide support and help for guardians to raise children.

Children, young people and families should be supported at an early stage. Their needs must be identified and access to assistance must be ensured without delay.

The activities of the state and municipalities in supporting and assisting family and friends are governed by the Child Welfare Act, the Social Welfare Act and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

As regards family care and informal care, no separate measures have been set up in the Safely at All Ages programme. 

Issues related to informal care by children and young people can be examined in the initial years of the programme as part of the implementation of measures for working-age people (aged 25-64), and possible new initiatives can be considered as part of the mid-term evaluation in 2025. 

Work carried out in different operating environments, schools and educational institutions

Safe growth and operating environments promote the health and well-being of children and young people. 

A safe operating environment develops safety-orientated knowledge, skills and attitudes.Trustworthy adults and peers that are close to the children and young people can give information, motivate and provide a good example. 

Safety is enhanced by the basic work of professionals in different everyday environments such as 

• early childhood education and care and maternity and child health care clinic services
• schools and educational institutions incl. school and student health care services
• social and youth work, leisure and sports
• special support services 
• non-governmental organisations.

Consumer safety and consumer services also promote the safety of operating environments. Different regulations and national guidelines oblige both service providers and users to act safely.

Potential accident environments vary by age

The operating environments of children and young people vary according to age:

• Small children are still highly dependent on adults and the safety of their local environment. 
• As the child grows, their everyday environments expand. The importance of friends and other young people increases. 
• Young people already have the ability to identify and manage hazards.

For children under school age, about half of  patients due to injuries that are treated in a hospital inpatient ward take place in the home environment, while for under-3-year-olds the figure is close to 70%.

The majority of injuries  involving young people of comprehensive school age and older take place outside the home and during their free time.

References

Korpilahti et al. (ed.) Safely at All Ages: Programme for the Prevention of Home and Leisure Injuries 2021–2030 and cost report. Publications of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 2020:30.