[Hospitalizations due to falls in the childhood population of northern Israel: a comparison between the years 1993-1995 and 2002-2004].

Previous studies showed that falls from height are a major cause of morbidity in children who live in northern Israel. These studies demonstrated major differences in injury severity between Arab and Jewish children, and noted that more children from the Arab sector were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The objective of this study was to compare the hospitalization rates at Rambam Medical Center in the years 1993-1995 and 2002-2004, and to evaluate selected demographic characteristics of these hospitalizations. We found that the total number of falls increased significantly during the years 2002-2004, and that a dramatic increase in the number of admission to ICU was notable among the Jewish population. These findings suggest that injury prevention programs should be implemented urgently on a national level.