title: Causes and consequences of head injuries among rural population hospitalized in the Ward for Multi-Organ Injuries. I. Demographic and social structure.
abstract: The main objective of the study was the analysis of types, causes and consequences of head injuries among patients treated in the Ward for Multi-Organ Injuries during the period 1999-2002. The study aimed at the recognition of the health situation and selected demographic traits of people who had sustained head injuries. The authors' research tool - a Scientific-Research Protocol - was applied in the study. The survey covered 265 people, including 204 males (77.0%) and 61 females (23.0%) hospitalized due to head injuries; 90 people, i.e. 34% of the total population examined, were rural inhabitants 82.2% were males and 17.8% females. Thus, among the population examined the percentage of males was considerably higher than that of females, both in the sub-populations of urban and rural inhabitants. The percentage of people aged 65 and over was higher among the rural population, compared to urban inhabitants (21.1% and 8.0%, respectively), while the percentage of patients aged under 35 was lower (30.0% and 48.0%, respectively). A significantly higher percentage of patients living in rural areas, compared to urban inhabitants, had an elementary school or elementary vocational education level (77.8% and 46.3%, respectively). The number of patients who were never married was smaller among the rural than urban population (22.2% and 35.4%, respectively), whereas the percentage of those widowed was higher (13.3% and 2.9%, respectively). In the group of patients living in rural areas the percentages of people maintaining themselves on nonagricultural and agricultural work were similar (27.7% and 25.6%, respectively).
authors: Chair and Department of Epidemiology, Medical University, Lublin, Poland. epidemiologia@umlub.pl
authors: Irena Dorota
authors: ID
authors: Karwat
authors: Rafał
authors: R
authors: Gorczyca
authors: Szczepan
authors: S
authors: Krupa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population; D013997:Time Factors; D014505:Urban Population