CHILDREN AND ACCIDENTS - EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PREVENTION

Occurrence of accidents and the specific types of accidents vary from country to country and even within a country, depending upon various e pidemiological factors. These factors are the subject of this paper. T hey can be divided into three main categories. First, those factors re lating to the causative agents of the accidents. Secondly, those facto rs in the host or the victim of the accident, and thirdly, the circums tances in the environment, both physical and social, that predispose t o the occurrence of the accident. The understanding of these factors m ake a basis for the prevention of accidents which will also be discuss ed.