Personal and family characteristics of injured and poisoned children [1-6 years] attending emergency departments in Alexandria University Hospitals

ABSTRACT

Accidents are emerging strikingly and assuming a proportionately greater importance with the more efficient control of infectious diseases. The present study aimed at revealing the personal and family characteristies, clarifying the different types fo accidents for he children 1 < 6 years. To accomplish this aim, a descriptive epidemiologic approach as used for a sample [totalled 309] of injured or poisoned children 1 < 6 years attending the emergency departments of the Main and Hadara Orthopeadic and Traumatology University Hospitals in Llexandria, during the period between 1st December, 1985 to 28th february, 1986. Data collected were then transferred, tabulated and statistically analysed at 5% level of significance. the results of the study are the following Two-thirds of cases were boys [62.14%], the remaining were girls. The mean age of boys [3.82 + 1.39 years] was significantly higher than that of girls [3.40 + 1.51 years], where t=2.4929. The types of accidents were Falls [40.13%], Wounds [14.24%], Bums [13.59%], Traffic accidents [9.71%], Foreign body in-gestion [9.06%], Poisoning [7.77%], Violence [4.85%] and Animal bites [0.65%] Each of the first and second birth ordered cases constituted less than one third [30.42%. and 28.48%] No significant differences were observed between the type of accident and mean age of fathers [F=0.6887] or mothers [F=2.0367], family size [F=0.7736] crowding index [F=0.7716] and sleeping index [F=1.4050]. Illiterate parents constituted the majority [72.76%. for fathers and 82.68%. for mothers]. Cases belonging to manually-working fathers represented more than half [52.22%], while those belonging to non-working mothers represented 92.81% Less than half of the patients [41.53%] were not receiving parental supervision no significant differences were observed between type of accidents and type of family [X[2][5]=2.2134] and type of housing [X[2][5]=2.7413]. only 19.42% of all cases had major health problems among their family