Evidence suggests that supervision can reduce injuries to young children, according to a recent study. Researchers reviewed medical records of pediatric emergency department patients who sought care for an unintentional home injury between January 1 and December 31, 2012, and contacted the parents for a home interview. Researchers found:

• 104 children (42 female and 62 male), aged 6 months to 7 years who were predominantly of black race/ethnicity (84 [80.8%]) experienced 123 injuries.
• The most common injury mechanism was a fall (46.3%), and the most common body part injured was the head/neck/face (61.8%).
• In all but 2 cases, an item was identified as contributing to the injury: 42 of 120 (35.0%) involved house features, 40 of 120 (33.3%) involved furnishings, 13 of 120 (10.8%) involved food/beverage, and 10 of 120 (8.3%) involved toys.
• Parents, who were mostly female (92.3%) and high school graduates (78.8%), identified at least 1 prevention strategy (82.7%).
• Of the 110 suggestions, 44 (40.0%) were to create a safer environment, 34 (3.9%) were to modify child behavior, and 32 (29.1%) were to provide increased adult supervision.