A study of the prevalence of having fractures and the affecting factors in young male adults throughout childhood and adolescence.
Injuries due to accidents in children and adolescents, who are more sensitive to different risk factors in their social and physical environments, play an important part in mortality and morbidity. Fractures are the most commonly seen problems among these injuries. This cross-sectional study was carried out in a two-year vocational military school in Ankara between 1-10 May 2000. All, 2720 students in the school were included and data were collected via a questionnaire distributed to the students. It was found that 418 (17%) out of 2,461 students we could interview had had a fracture. No statistically meaningful relationship was found between the frequency of having fractures and the educational status of the parents or employment status of the mother. However, it was seen that the frequency of fractures increased as the economical status of the parents increased. The high frequency of fractures in childhood and adolescence in young males, and the traditional practice of going to unlicensed and medically untrained adults, and "bonesetters" (27% of those surveyed) are two important findings that should be taken into consideration.
Yildiz
C
C
Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy and Faculty, Ankara, Turkey.
Güleç
M
M
Tekbaş
O F
OF
Atesalp
A S
AS
Hasde
M
M
Başbozkurt
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008349:Manipulation, Orthopedic; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology