title: [Accidents by external causes in adolescents: care in sentinel urgency and emergency services in the Brazilian State Capitals--2009].
abstract: Adolescents are seeking new references and experiences, which may involve attitudes of risk and exposure to accidents and violence from external causes. These events constitute a serious Public Health problem. The scope of this study was to analyze the occurrence of accidents by external causes in adolescents from 10 to 19 years of age attended at sentinel urgency and emergency services in Brazil. Data from the 2009 Surveillance System for Violence and Accidents (VIVA 2009) was analyzed in 74 emergency units in 23 state capitals and the Federal District. The findings revealed that 6,434 adolescents (89.8%) were victims of accidents and 730 (10.2 %) were victims of violence. The main causes of the accidents were falls and traffic accidents, and assaults were predominant in violence. For both accidents and violence, non-white male adolescents were predominant and the events occurred most frequently on the public highways. A marked increase was detected, with hospitalization of victims of violence between 15 and 19 years of age. Understanding the epidemiological reality of external causes among adolescents represents an important tool for health prevention and promotion policies and the culture of peace seeking to reduce morbidity and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Secretaria de Vigiläncia em Saúde, Ministério da Saúde, Esplanada dos Ministérios, Bloco G, Edifício Sede, 1º andar, Sala 142, 70058-900 Brasília DF. dcmalta@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Deborah Carvalho
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Malta
authors.forename: Márcio Dênis Medeiros
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Mascarenhas
authors.forename: Regina Tomie Ivata
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.forename: Silvania Suely Caribé de Araújo
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Alice Cristina Medeiros
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: das Neves
authors.forename: Elza Machado
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: de Melo
authors.forename: Jarbas Barbosa
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: da Silva Junior
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014504:Urban Health; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult