Regardless of age, falls were the main cause of accidents according to the AVICOU study © photo Robert Collins on Unsplash
Everyday accidents include domestic, sports and leisure accidents, those that occur at school and at any other time in private life. They are the leading cause of death in children aged 1 to 4, and the second leading cause of death in 5 to 14 year-olds. Since most of these accidents are preventable, it is essential to have detailed and up-to-date data on their characteristics in order to better target prevention actions. To this end, the Directorate General of Health has commissioned a study – the AVICOU study – with the Inserm and Sorbonne University teams of the Sentinelles network.
This study, conducted from May 2022 to June 2023 among a sample of 162 general practitioners and 31 private pediatricians spread across the entire French territory, estimates that there are more than 550,000 annual consultations in community medicine related to an accident in everyday life among children under 15 (general practitioners: approximately 476,000; pediatricians: approximately 77,000). Three-quarters of the cases did not consult emergency services.
She emphasizes that the circumstances in which accidents occur follow the major stages in the children’s lives. Thus, accidents most often occurred at home for children under 10, and during outdoor sports or leisure activities for those aged 10 and over.
Regardless of age, falls were the main cause of accidents: furniture was most often involved in children under 5; in those over 5, falls were often spontaneous (during games by tripping). Approximately 80% of consultations for everyday accidents in children under 15 required a prescription (medication, care, inability to play sports, absence from school).
This study confirms that the prevention of everyday accidents affecting children is a public health issue. This issue is notably taken into account in the 2024-2030 roadmap on pediatrics and child health.
In particular, it plans to strengthen the prevention of everyday accidents for children aged 1 to 4. In this context, awareness-raising and communication actions will be deployed among the general public, with specific prevention messages according to age.
The Sentinelles network, made up of 1,300 general practitioners and around a hundred pediatricians, is a primary care surveillance and research network in mainland France (Iplesp – Inserm/Sorbonne University) which works in close collaboration with Public Health France.
