Citation

Sorimachi Y, Shirakawa T. Jpn. Med. Assn. J. JMAJ 2005; 48(8): 410-416.

Affiliation

Aomori-shi, Aomori 030-0911, Japan

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Japan Medical Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

According to comparative research on the injury to children in 26 OECD countries conducted by the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Japan is ranked 12th among the 26 countries in the lowness of child-injury mortality rate (ages from 1 to 14), and Japan is ranked 18th when only ages 1 to 4 years are considered. This is a serious situation for Japan. Although we tend to focus on major disasters in discussing disasters, the lives of children in Japan are threatened by injury from everyday disasters such as traffic accidents. This article compares the situation of child-injury death in Japan with that in Sweden, where the child-injury death rate is the lowest in the world. By reviewing the death rates associated with various causes of injury, we show that childhood mortality rates due to pedestrian injury, pedal cyclist injury, failing, choking on food or nonfood materials, accidental drowning, and interpersonal violence are higher in Japan than in Sweden, and clarify how the lives of children in Japan are threatened by everyday disasters. Next, we explain how the low child-injury mortality rate in Sweden is supported by implementing safety promotion as a public health policy, and emphasize the need to introduce safety promotion and a national program to protect Japanese children from everyday events.