[A study on incidence of injury and its socio-economic loss in children and young adults].
OBJECTIVE
To study the current status of incidence of injury among children and young adults and the causes of common injuries, and to estimate its socio-economic loss and extent of harmfulness.


METHODS
Pupils in 19 primary and middle schools aged 7 to 18 years, totaling 14,533, were recruited with stratified cluster sampling during 1998 to 1999 in Guangzhou, Maoming, Jiangmen and Shantou. Judgement for injury was based on the following criteria: (1) diagnosed and treated in hospitals or school clinics, (2) a half-day off or more due to injury, and (3) emergency management by pupils' parents or teachers.


RESULTS
There were 6 941 pupils suffered from varied injures during the year, with an incidence rate of 47.76% (50.08% for boys and 45.02% for girls). Incidence rate of injury was higher in the middle school pupils (13 - 18 years old, 58.49%) than that in the primary school pupils (7 - 12 years old, 40.08%). The incidence increased significantly with age, with a peak at ages of 13 - 15. Major causes of injuries resulted from falls, injury by sharp articles, collision, traffic injuries and burn/scalds, etc, which usually occurred due to carelessness in sports, playing, walking, bike-riding and working. Frequency of multiple injuries related to the educational level of parents and depended on whether or not an only-child in family. There were 2,173 injured pupils (accounting for 31.3% of the total) visited clinics or emergency department in hospitals and 627 (9.0%) hospitalized for treatment. Twenty-eight percent of the injured pupils were absent from school, with an average absenteeism of 5.6 days. There were 154 injured pupils with transient disability and 53 with permanent disability, with a disability rate of 410.47 per 100,000. Cost for their medical care averaged 81.5 yuan RMB per injured pupil.


CONCLUSIONS
Injury was a common and frequently-happened incident among children and young adults and could seriously affect their health, development and growth, studying and their future of children and young adults. Health education, safety-promotion and removing hidden danger for injury are the major measures to prevent from injury, and the government and the whole society should pay great attention to injury issues in children and young adults.
Wang
S
S
Department of Epidemiology, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
Guo
C
C
Zhang
G
G
Lu
G
G
Li
L
L
Lin
H
H
Fan
C
C
Huang
G
G
Zhou
C
C
Lu
Y
Y
D000059:Accidents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control