title: Epidemiology of Burns in Rural Bangladesh: An Update.
abstract: Each year, approximately 265,000 deaths occur due to burns on a global scale. In Bangladesh, around 173,000 children under 18 sustain a burn injury. Since most epidemiological studies on burn injuries in low and middle-income countries are based on small-scale surveys or hospital records, this study aims to derive burn mortality and morbidity measures and risk factors at a population level in Bangladesh. A household survey was conducted in seven rural sub-districts of Bangladesh in 2013 to assess injury outcomes. Burn injuries were one of the external causes of injury. Epidemiological characteristics and risk factors were described using descriptive as well as univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The overall mortality and morbidity rates were 2 deaths and 528 injuries per 100,000 populations. Females had a higher burn rate. More than 50% of injuries were seen in adults 25 to 64 years of age. Most injuries occurred in the kitchen while preparing food. 88% of all burns occurred due to flame. Children 1 to 4 years of age were four times more likely to sustain burn injuries as compared to infants. Age-targeted interventions, awareness of first aid protocols, and improvement of acute care management would be potential leads to curb death and disability due to burn injuries.
authors.affiliation: Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. siranhe@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Siran
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. oalonge1@jhu.edu.
authors.forename: Olakunle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Alonge
authors.affiliation: Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. pagrawa6@jhu.edu.
authors.forename: Priyanka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.affiliation: International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh. shumona@icddrb.org.
authors.forename: Shumona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharmin
authors.affiliation: International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh. irteja.islam@icddrb.org.
authors.forename: Irteja
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.affiliation: Center for Injury Prevention and Research, House # B-162, Road # 23, New DOHS, Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206, Bangladesh. mashreky@ciprb.org.
authors.forename: Saidur Rahman
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Mashreky
authors.affiliation: International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh. shams@icddrb.org.
authors.forename: Shams El
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Arifeen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D002056:Burns / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bangladesh; burns; epidemiology; low and middle-income countries; risk factors