Children in Disasters

Children are a uniquely vulnerable population in disasters and often overlooked in preparedness and disaster drills and exercises.

Children are NOT just small adults. Let’s take a look at some things that make them unique.

Anatomic/Physiologic Feature	Implications
Increased Minute Ventilation Shorter Height	More susceptibility to inhaled agents (especially higher density agents that may be heavier and stay closer to the ground)
Higher Body Surface Area	Increased exposure to any agents that come in contact with skin Higher risk of hypothermia
Less Blood Volume	Less physiologic reserve in cases of dehydration and blood loss
Increased Compliance of Chest Wall Less developed Abdominal Musculature	Higher risk of intrathoracic and abdominal injuries from blunt trauma
Proportionally Larger Heads	Head injury more common
Developmental/Psychosocial	This feature is pertinent to all aspects of disaster: Inability to flee danger Children may be hesitant or unwilling to obey commands of a stranger Some children may not be able to walk due to age or developmental capacity (making ambulatory assessment in disaster triage a limitation) May be fearful of people dressed in personal protective equipment