Citation

He S, Lunnen JC, Puvanachandra P, Amar-Singh, Zia N, Hyder AA. Am. J. Public Health 2014; 104(3): e79-84.

Affiliation

Siran He, Jeffrey C. Lunnen, Prasanthi Puvanachandra, Nukhba Zia, and Adnan A. Hyder are with Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. Amar Singh is with the Paediatric Department, Ipoh General Hospital, Perak, Malaysia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2013.301607

PMID

24432924

Abstract

Objectives. We aimed to analyze the epidemiology of childhood unintentional injuries presenting to hospitals in 5 select sites in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Malaysia, and Pakistan). Methods. We collected standardized data from children ages 0 to 12 years at participating emergency departments (EDs) in 2007. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare the characteristics of these injuries and to explore the determinants of injury outcomes. Results. Among 2686 injured children, falls (50.4%) and road traffic injuries (16.4%) were the most common, affecting boys more often (64.7%). Home injuries were more common among younger children (average 5.41 vs 7.06 years) and girls (38.2% vs 31.7%). Following an ED visit, 24% of injured children were admitted to the hospital, and 6 died. Injury outcomes were associated with risk factors, such as age and sex, to varying extents. Conclusions. Standardized ED surveillance revealed unintentional injuries are a threat to child health. The majority of events took place inside the home, challenging traditional concepts of children's safety and underscoring the need for intensified context-appropriate injury prevention. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print January 16, 2014: e1-e6. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301607).

Language: en