Background Injuries are a leading cause of death among children aged 18 years and under. However, there is a lack of policies on effective child injury prevention interventions, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and on the systematic evaluation of such policies.

Objectives This study presents results from a pilot test of a systematic approach to assess and track policies on effective child injury prevention interventions at the national level in selected countries.

Method A literature review was conducted to identify conceptual models for injury policy assessment. Domains and indicators focusing on evidence-supported interventions for child injury prevention were proposed to target the leading causes of child injury mortality globally and were organized into a self-administered questionnaire, the Assessment of Child Injury Prevention Policies (A-CHIPP) questionnaire, comprising of 22 questions. The questionnaire was modified based on reviews by experts in child injury prevention. For an initial test of the approach, 13 countries from all six WHO regions were selected to examine the accuracy, usefulness and ease of understanding of the A-CHIPP questionnaire.

Findings Data on the A-CHIPP questionnaire were received from nine countries. Road traffic injuries and drowning were among the leading causes of child injury for most countries. Two countries reported asphyxiation as the leading cause of child injury mortality. Most countries lacked national policies and program on evidence-supported interventions for child injury primary prevention; financial support and leadership were also lacking. All countries rated the questionnaire very highly on its relevance for assessment of injury prevention policies.

Conclusion and policy implications The A-CHIPP questionnaire is useful for national assessment of child injury policies, and such as assessment could benefit stakeholders in addressing policy gaps and supporting progress in child injury prevention.