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Media release
From:
The societal cost of unintentional childhood injuries in Aotearoa
Key Points
Approximately 66 children (0–14 years) die from unintentional injuries each year, and unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in 1- to 14-year-olds. Tamariki Māori are 3.4 times more likely to die from unintentional injuries than European children.
An additional 7,700 hospitalisations occur as a result of these injuries every year.
257,000 children experienced unintentional injury in 2014, resulting in direct and indirect costs of almost $400 million.
It’s about the seriousness of injury, not just the basic injury rate. Children living with the highest levels of socioeconomic deprivation had the highest rate of hospital admission following injury. This is particularly the case for tamariki Māori.
The proportional loss in discretionary income arising from an injury was higher for Māori and Pacific compared to non-Māori, non-Pacific households. So the household impact of managing a childhood injury is greatest for Māori and Pacific households with low incomes."
Summary
We used information from ACC claims and hospitalisation events to look at the rate and impact of unintended injuries for children aged 0 to 14. We estimated the cost of health care to treat injuries, and the costs in productivity loss caused by managing unintended injuries for children. We found that the overall cost of unintended childhood injury in Aotearoa was nearly $400 million every year. Māori children, and those in low-income households, tended to have more serious injuries, with higher rates of hospitalisation for each injury sustained. The impact of an injury, for example in taking time off work to attend health care appointments, is disproportionately high for Māori, Pacific and low-income families.
