ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence, nature and the extent of infant injuries in two suburban and rural communities of Pakistan. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted on a cohort of 310 infants in suburban and rural communities of Pakistan in September 2007. The information was collected from primary care-givers based on any injury that had occurred to their infants during the preceding 3 months that required treatment at home or in a hospital. RESULT: The incidence of non-fatal injury for infants up to 1-year-old was found to be 19 injuries per 100 person (child) years of exposure (95% CI 9.90 - 27.21). In suburban area, the rate was 26 injuries/100 person (child) years (95 % CI 15.37 - 35.71), while in rural area, it was 13 injuries/100 person (child) years of exposure (95 % CI 4.79-18.39). Altogether, 13 episodes of injury were reported among infants in both the communities. The male to female infant ratio for injury was 1:2.2. Suburban area had more than double injuries compared to the rural area. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of infant injuries was quite significant, especially among suburban and female children. There is a dire need to develop community-based interventions creating awareness on the matter.
Subject(s)
Accident Prevention/methods , Accidents, Home , Caregivers , Infant Care , Infant Welfare , Wounds and Injuries , Accidents, Home/mortality , Accidents, Home/prevention & control , Accidents, Home/psychology , Caregivers/education , Caregivers/psychology , Environment , Female , Humans , Incidence , Infant , Infant Care/methods , Infant Care/psychology , Infant Care/statistics & numerical data , Infant Mortality , Infant Welfare/prevention & control , Infant Welfare/statistics & numerical data , Infant, Newborn , Male , Pakistan/epidemiology , Patient Acceptance of Health Care , Pilot Projects , Rural Population , Socioeconomic Factors , Suburban Population , Wounds and Injuries/classification , Wounds and Injuries/epidemiology , Wounds and Injuries/etiology , Wounds and Injuries/psychologyABSTRACT
The study aimed at determining the incidence, nature, and extent of childhood injuries in two suburban and rural communities of Pakistan. The findings of the study are based on a cross-sectional survey of 2,292 children aged 1-8 years. Information was sought retrospectively from the primary caregiver on the occurrence of injury that required formal or informal medical consultation during the past three months. The incidence rate of non-fatal injuries that required care outside home for children aged 1-8 years was 19.7 injuries per 100 person (child)-years of exposure [95% confidence interval (CI) 16.41-23.51]: 26.5 injuries per 100 person (child)-years of exposure (95% CI 21.31-32.63) in the suburban area and 12.1 injuries per 100 person (child)-years of exposure (95% CI 8.68-16.66) in the rural area. The most common non-fatal injuries were falls (10.5 fall injuries per 100 person (child)-years of exposure), bums and scalds (3.5 burn injuries per 100 person (child)-years of exposure), and road traffic injuries (RTIs) (2 RTIs per 100 person (child)-years of exposure). One fatality due to drowning was also reported during the study period. The difference among sex was highly significant (p = 0.03). Boys (60%) were at a higher risk of injuries compared to girls (40%). The data also revealed that 61% of the injuries took place inside the home. The magnitude of childhood injuries in the two communities was significant compared to the findings of the National Health Survey of Pakistan (1990-1994). The fact that the majority (61%) of the injuries occurred inside the home raises many questions in relation to the household hazards and adequacy of safety and child-proofing measures in these households. There is a need to develop community-based interventions, creating awareness about the consequences of childhood injuries and educating families about preventive measures to reduce the incidence of injuries during early and middle childhood.
