HOW SAFE ARE OUR SCHOOLS

Objectives. The goal of this study was to provide national estimates o f the frequency and cost of school injuries. Methods. Six years of Nat ional Health Interview Survey data were used to estimate nonfatal inju ry incidence rates, multiple sources were used to estimate fatalities, and national highway crash data were used to estimate school bus inju ry incidence. Results. Each year, 3.7 million children suffer a substa ntial injury at school, resulting in an estimated $3.2 billion in medi cal spending and $115 billion in good health lost. Nonschool fatalitie s greatly exceed school fatalities; from an incidence per hour perspec tive, however, school hours are no safer than nonschool hours despite greater formal supervision. School bus injuries account for half of sc hool injury deaths but less than 1% of total school injury costs. Conc lusions. Nonfatal injury is a problem in schools. The concentration of injury at secondary schools suggests that interventions there may be most cost-effective. Data on school injury causes are greatly needed.