Childhood injury prevention: time for tougher measures

Abstract

The publication in this issue of an article describing the fatal strangulation of two children on clothing drawstrings (see pages 1417 to 1419) coincides with National Child Day. This juxtaposition prompts the author to examine Canadian child health policy and practices in relation to injury prevention and product safety. The absence of a central body in Canada responsible for injury prevention may reflect the absence of advocacy groups concerned exclusively with the prevention of childhood injuries and stands in sharp contrast to the attention given to various "high-profile" but comparatively rare childhood diseases. In Canada, taking a firm regulatory or legislative approach to product safety appears to be the exception rather than the rule. Instead, we rely on product safety bulletins, the effectiveness of which has never been evaluated. The adoption of tougher measures would be facilitated by the establishment of a national centre for injury prevention and control. Such centres in the United States and Sweden have been successful and demonstrate that the creation of a Canadian body responsible for addressing the epidemic of accidental injury is long overdue.