Unintentional injuries in brazilian preschool children

ABSTRACT

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of unintentional injuries among children attending public preschools of Florianópolis (Santa Catarina, Brazil) and describe their epidemiological characteristics. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted with 398 children in 2009 and data were collected through a questionnaire, filled by parents. Statistical analysis was performed, considering a confidence interval of 95%. Results:Among the 398 children included, 275 (69.1% - 95%: 66.8 to 71.4%) suffered unintentional injuries, making a total of 573 cases. The sample comprised 55.5% male children between 13 and 36 months (61.6% - 95% CI: 59.3 to 63.9%) that were affected. Child home was the place where 352 (61.4% - 95% CI: 59.0 to 63.8%) injuries occurred, 372 (64.9% - IC95%: from 59.1 to 73.7%), which were caused by falls, and 342 (59.7% - 95%:57.3 to 62.1%) were considered mild. In 223 (38.9% - 95%: 36.5% -41.3%) cases, the mother accompanied the child at the time of injury. Conclusion: The prevalence of unintentional injuries was high. In the context of prevention, combined actions among health professionals, government and civil society should be proposed based on local research on the topic. In the era of family health care performed by multidisciplinary teams, it is critical that these injuries receive adequate importance by health professionals and attention in public health policies...