EFFORTS TO REDUCE THE TOLL OF INJURIES IN CHILDHOOD REQUIRE EXPANDED RESEARCH

Efforts to control injury, like those to control disease, are based on epidemiologic evidence that most occurrences are both predictable and preventable. Effective injury control programs depend heavily on evid ence generated as a result of a strong research agenda. This policy st atement outlines the magnitude of the injury toll and the prevention e fforts that have expanded during past decade. Even with this expansion , the level of federal commitment to research aimed at reducing the to ll of injury does not match the magnitude of the injury problem. Much research remains to be done, and the AAP recommends a muitilevel and m ultifaceted approach to prevention and treatment, based on injury morb idity and mortality data. As injury control methods of proven efficacy continue to be developed, pediatricians can apply them to their patie nts, and thereby reduce the toll of childhood injury.