Patterns in Domestic Injuries and how COVID-19 Lockdown Measures Changed Their Incidence in Mexico (preprint)

ABSTRACT

Domestic accidents occur worldwide. From small burns and bruises to significant wounds and injuries from dangerous falls, not all of them reach clinical care; so to measure the toll of these hardships on society, we surveyed three major cities in Mexico to better understand the problem and how coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown measures changed the incidence rate. We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study using Microsoft Forms, with a digital survey distributed among the Mexican population from October 2021 to November 2021, during lockdown. The incidence of all injuries surveyed increasedduring the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A comparison of the time spent inside the house before and during the pandemic showed that only burns increased. The number of wounds and musculoskeletal injuries decreased as people spent more time at home. Women were shown to be the most vulnerable group. This study offers an unprecedented perspective on home-related trauma, as past literature has mainly examined trauma injuries treated in hospitals. The types of wounds have morphed depending on the percentage of time spent in the house, which has undergone a remarkable transformation since the lockdown was enacted.