The cost of childhood unintentional injuries and the value of prevention

Cost data are useful in comparing various health problems, assessing risks, setting research priorities, and selecting interventions that most efficie ntly reduce health burdens. Using analyses of national and state data sets, this article presents data on the frequency, costs, and quality-of-life lo sses associated with unintentional childhood injuries in 1996. The frequenc y, severity, potential for death and disability, and costs of unintentional injury make it a leading childhood health problem. Unintentional childhood injuries in 1996 resulted in an estimated $14 billion in lifetime medical spending, $1 billion in other resource costs, and $66 billion in present an d future work losses. These injuries imposed quality-of-life losses equival ent to 92,400 child deaths. Since Medicaid and other government sources pai d for 39% of the days children spent in hospitals due to unintentional inju ries, the government has a financial interest in, and arguably a responsibi lity for, assuring the safety of disadvantaged children. Federal agencies, however, devote relatively few public dollars to injury prevention research and programming. Several proven child safety interventions cost less than the medical and ot her resource costs they save. Thus, governments, managed care companies, an d third-party payers could save money by encouraging the routine use of sel ected child safety measures such as child safety seats, bicycle helmets, an d smoke detectors. Yet, these and other proven injury prevention interventi ons are not universally implemented.