Incidence rates and risk factors for injury events in high school students in Lijin County, China.
OBJECTIVE
Most investigations of injuries among Chinese populations are focused on urban or better developed areas, fewer on rural or poor areas.


METHODS
From September 21 to 27, 2002, an epidemiological investigation of eight kinds of injury-related events was carried out among 1,944 students in 39 classes randomly sampled from middle schools in Lijin County, a rural area. The eight kinds of events were: (a) traffic accidents, (b) poisoning, (c) fall, (d) burn or scald, (e) blunt or sharp tools contact, (f) electrical contact, (g) animal or insect bites, and (h) non-fatal drowning.


RESULTS
The total incidence rate of eight kinds of injuries in the previous year was 21.1%. The incidence rate among boys was 24.2%, while that among girls was 17.4%, which was significant (chi-square=13.4, P<0.05). The incidence rate among junior high school students was 23.1%, while that among senior high school students was 15.5%, which was also significant (chi-square=13.2, P<0.05). A case-control study of 410 students with at least one of eight kinds of injury events indicated that students' gender and their mothers' health status were related to their injuries.


CONCLUSIONS
The injury incidence rate in a rural area was less than other results in urban or developed areas. Students' gender and mothers' health status were important factors associated with the occurrence of injury.


CONCLUSIONS
In order to improve the surroundings of the growing population of adolescents, some preventive measures should be put forward, especially to the high-risk students of injury.
Jia
Cunxian
C
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Shandong University, Wenhuaxi Road 44, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
Zhao
Zhongtang
Z
Bo
Qigui
Q
Zhang
Ying
Y
Liu
Zhaolan
Z
D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*