title: Psychosocial factors associated with lifetime experience of serious unintentional injury in South Korea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of lifetime unintentional-injury experience and evaluate the quality of life of unintentional-injury victims, to provide useful data for the development of interventions aimed at decreasing the incidence of unintentional injuries. DESIGN, SAMPLE, AND METHODS: This study utilized data obtained from cross-sectional surveys of 24,327 Korean individuals aged 19-65 years, performed using face-to-face interviews. Demographic characteristics, unintentional-injury experience, attributes of health behavior, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questions were included in the study instruments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 11.8% of the subjects had experienced an unintentional injury that required hospitalization at least once in their lifetime. Being older, being male, having less education and lower income, working in a blue-collar job, and being enrolled in medical aid programs were associated with increased likelihood of having an unintentional injury. Among the HRQoL and risk-taking behavior variables, limitations in daily activities, suicide ideation, and binge drinking were significantly associated with injury experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Public health efforts to prevent unintentional injuries should target high-risk populations such as males, those with low incomes and education levels, and binge drinkers. Efforts should also be made to enhance the HRQoL of injury victims.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Inha University, Incheon, Korea. okkyung@inha.ac.kr
authors.forename: Ok Kyung
authors.initials: OK
authors.lastname: Ham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology