The Launch Ceremony Of Childhood Injury Prevention Programme

19 Jun 2004

By Dr Balaji Sadasivan

Venue: Plaza Singapura External Atrium

Speech By Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Minister Of State For Health

At The Launch Ceremony Of Childhood Injury Prevention Programme

Saturday 19 June 2004, 11.00am

At The Plaza Singapura External Atrium     

Mr Wong Yew Meng, Chairman, Health Promotion Board

Dr Lam Sian Lian, CEO, Health Promotion Board

Dr Jannie Tay, Chairperson of Childhood Injury Prevention Programme Committee

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Good morning

It is my pleasure to be here this morning for the launch of the Childhood Injury Prevention Programme. This is an important issue for our children, parents and caregivers.

Introduction

While our children are generally healthy, preventable injury is one of the leading causes of death and disability.  Preventable childhood injury refers to accidents that can be prevented if appropriate care and supervision are provided.  Many people think that it is normal for a child to have a fall or accident once in a while.  Others think that it is fated if serious injuries occur.  Such thinking may lower the vigilance of caregivers to prevent childhood injuries.  We do not advocate over-protective behavior on the part of parents and caregivers. We want the next generation to be a tough and rugged lot. However, we must realize that vigilance and taking simple precautions will help prevent injuries.

International Trends in Childhood Injury

Singapore is not the only country concerned about the impact of childhood injuries. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that preventable injury is one of the leading causes of death in children worldwide.  Among children more than a year old, injuries are the biggest cause of ill health and death observed in many countries including the USA and Canada. 

Trends in Childhood Injuries in Singapore

In Singapore, accidental injuries are the second commonest cause of death among children aged 1 to 15 years.  Accidental injuries accounted for about one-fifth of all deaths in these children in 2001. This represents only the tip of the iceberg.  About  19,000 cases of unintentional childhood injury are seen at KKH and NUH each year. Two thirds of childhood injuries occur at home. 

Beliefs and Practices of Caregivers

Many of the accidental injuries could have been prevented through vigilance and taking simple preventive measures at home.  To find out what our caregivers know and do about childhood injuries, a study was conducted in Feb this year by the Health Promotion Board. 

The study found that only about 67% of the care givers believed that most injuries are preventable.  This is low compared to the more than 80% of care givers in countries like Canada and New Zealand who believe that childhood injuries are preventable.  Less than a quarter of our caregivers realize that the home is the most common place for childhood injuries. About 40% of the caregivers thought that childhood injuries occurred more frequently at playgrounds.

From the survey, only one third of our caregivers have made some changes to their homes to make it safer.  These are usually padding of the sharp corners of furniture, keeping the home clean and floors dry, installing window grilles, keeping sharp and dangerous objects out of children's reach and the use of door stoppers.  We need to encourage more caregivers to take these and other simple precautions at home to prevent childhood injuries. 

Childhood Injury Prevention Programme 2004

Based on the pattern of injuries in Singapore, the Childhood Injury Prevention Programme, or CHIPP in short, will focus in its first year on educating caregivers about safety in the home. The CHIPP Committee has been working on a comprehensive programme that aims to raise the awareness and educate parents and care givers on the main causes of injuries at home and how to prevent these home injuries.

I would like to thank Dr Jannie Tay, Chairperson of the Childhood Injury Prevention Programme Committee and all her enthusiastic members for their commitment of time, creativity and hard work towards this worthy project.  It is now my pleasure to launch the Childhood Injury Prevention Programme.        

Thank You.