ABSTRACT
Accidents are the most common preventable causes of death in children. Recognition of predisposing factors can help in institution of appropriate preventive measures. In this study, data of accidents and injuries in children [0-16 years of age] hospitalized in emergency department of three collegiate hospitals were obtained from hospital charts and interviews with parents, and the results were analyzed with the SPSS software. Among 271 children hospitalized during the study, 62.4% were males and 37.6% were females. The most prevalent age of accident outbreaks was between 12-16 years of age followed by the age group of 4-8 years. The most prevalent categories of accidents included falls - 38.4%, burns - 21.8%, poisonings - 20.7%, motor accidents - 14.8%, homicides - 3% and drowning and near-drowning - 1.5%. 242 of investigated cases were without complications, 27 led to disability and permanent sequel and 2 cases led to death. The most common time of day for accidents was the afternoon in the case of motor accidents mornings for burns, and noon for drowning. Accidents are more prevalent among teenage boys and pre-school children, especially in crowded low-income families. With regard to high incidence of accident fatality rate in our study we recommend institution of a comprehensive information system to effectively gather data, the results of which can be accessible to primary health care personnel and parents. Preventive measures to be taken include more strict and definite traffic rules, envisioning security facilities in homes and production of safe industrial pharmaceuticals