Kia ora e te whānau! Nau mai, hoki mai ki tēnei SafetyLit - welcome back to or first edition of SafetyLit - Safekids Aotearoa for 2026. We hope you all keeping safe across the motu.
In this month's SafetyLit, we have highlighted research and programmes focused on water safety, transport, paediatric health, and unintentional injury prevention.
Let us know if you and/or your network have any work/research that you'd like to include in this publication.
Drowning prevention requires approaches that reflect real-world barriers and diverse experiences. The articles below explore challenges to migrant access to water safety programmes, barriers facing families in enrolling young children in swimming lessons, and emerging evidence on toddler self-rescue skills. Together, they highlight the importance of equitable access, early intervention, and evidence-informed strategies to keep children safe around water.
Bicycling has many health benefits for children but can result in injuries. The built environment is associated with the risk of bicycling injury in adults, yet less is known about risks for children. This study sought to explore associations between built environment characteristics and child bicyclist injuries in three Canadian municipalities.
Paediatric magnet ingestion can have devastating consequences. To minimise this risk, many countries have policies to reduce exposure. This study seeks to summarise global reports of paediatric magnet ingestion and stringency of corresponding national policies.
Understanding what shapes young people’s diets is critical to improving long-term health outcomes. This article explores dietary patterns among 12-year-olds in Aotearoa and shows how diet quality is closely linked to food security, household circumstances, and social inequities. The findings highlight the need for stronger, government-led action to create healthier food environments and support equitable wellbeing for rangatahi.
Preventing unintentional injury in children requires approaches that evolve with age, environment, and evidence. The articles below explore how injury risk changes across development, the role of technology and engineering in prevention, the history of successful injury prevention efforts, and practical frameworks for action. Together, they offer valuable insights for clinicians, policymakers, and practitioners working to reduce preventable harm and improve safety for children and young people.
