Health Canada
www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Institutional links
Childhood Health and Safety
Children are more vulnerable to changes in their physical, emotional and social environments because of their rapid physical and mental health growth and smaller body size. The health and well-being of children depends on the safety and quality of their physical/natural environments, built environments and social environments -- at home, at school and in the community. Children also need to be in environments that protect them from violence, abuse, exploitation, injuries and neglect.
Child Safety
Many people are surprised to learn that injury is the leading cause of death among children and youth in Canada. What's even more surprising is that many of these injuries occur in the home. Many injuries could be prevented if parents and caregivers become more aware of how to make their child's environment safer. Injury prevention specialists have put together the following information to help families and caregivers provide a safer home environment for their children.
Home Safety Tips- Injury Prevention
- Recreation and Sports
- Healthy Environments for Children - What You Can Do!
- Important Numbers
Safe Transportation
As the demand on our transportation infrastructure grows, the lives and health of Canadian children and youth become increasingly compromised. Motor vehicle passenger and pedestrian injuries are a leading cause of death of children and youth. Also, among Canadians under the age of 20, cyclists account for about a quarter of hospitalizations for road vehicle injuries. Although railway injuries are less frequent, the devastating nature of these injuries almost always results in death. To help you and your family stay safe en route, injury prevention specialists have come up with some tips.
Physical Environment
Natural and built environments play a crucial role in the healthy growth and development of children and young people, and enhance their quality of life. The physical environment within which children and young people live includes the air they breathe, the water they drink, the food they eat, the products they use, and the settings in which they live, learn and play - homes, day cares, schools, malls, parks, playgrounds and communities.
Children and young people are particularly vulnerable to environmental contaminants due to their unique physiology, behaviours and exposures. Children are not little adults. From conception on, the fetus, infant, child and adolescent are in dynamic states of growth. As the brain and nervous system develop, they are extremely sensitive to exposures at critical times. Adults and children differ in behaviour, physiology, metabolism and diet. Kilogram for kilogram of body weight children breathe more air, drink more fluids and consume more food than adults proportionately increasing their exposure to whatever contaminants may be present. Generally, children are more active than adults and engage in a range of behaviours that can place them at higher risk of exposure.
Learn more on how to protect your child by consulting the following themes:
