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The leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the United States is unintentional (accidental) injury. One in four children will receive medical treatment for an injury every year. Many of these injuries are preventable with proven effective safety products, programs and policies.
Current research by Center faculty addresses house fires, motor vehicle occupant protection, pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, poisoning, and other home injuries. We emphasize intervention research, including studies on the application of computer tailoring technology to safety education, the role of alcohol and alcohol advertising in teen driving crashes, and new dissemination strategies to deliver proven effective safety products to families. The results of such studies are used to develop effective public information campaigns, patient education programs and state policies to protect children and adolescents. Children living in poverty are particularly vulnerable to injury. A Center study showed that low-income Baltimore city children ages six and under suffered injuries at a rate twice the national average. Innovative intervention research has demonstrated that families with limited educational and financial resources can benefit from injury prevention programs that provide access to reduced-cost safety products and to information tailored to their needs.
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