Epidemiology of non-fatal injuries among Egyptian children: a community-based cross-sectional survey

• Published in: BMC public health 2015-12, Vol.15 (10849), p.1248, Article 1248
• Main Authors: Halawa, Eman Fawzy, Barakat, Abeer, Rizk, Hoda Ibrahim Ibrahim, Moawad, Eman Mohamed Ibraheim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accidental Falls - mortality; Accidents - statistics & numerical data; Accidents, Home - statistics & numerical data; Adolescent; Age Distribution; Burns - mortality; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drowning - mortality; Egypt; Egypt - epidemiology; Female; Forecasts and trends; Fractures, Bone - epidemiology; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Injuries; Male; Morbidity; Mortality; Public health; Residence Characteristics; Risk Factors; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Sex Distribution; Surveys and Questionnaires; Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-2613-5

Injuries are a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. We aimed to determine the magnitude and characteristics of child injuries in Egypt and to identify the associated risk factors. A community-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted over 27 Egyptian governorates from June to October, 2011. The target population was 1977 households with children aged 0-18 years who had experienced accidental injuries. In the 6-month period before the investigation, 1576 injuries were reported in 1472 children from a sample population of 1399 households (response rate 70.8 %). Falls (25 %) and burn injuries (20.3 %) were the most common accidental injuries. The incidence of these injuries was significantly higher among boys (57.2 %) than girls and in children aged 2-6 years (70 %) compared with older and younger children. The five main causes of injuries were wounds (30.6 %), fractures (28.7 %), burns (20.3 %), swallowing a foreign body (8.4 %) and accidentally ingesting a poison (7.8 %). Injuries from drowning (n = 27), animal bites (n = 22) and sunstroke (n = 20) mostly occurred in rural children, accounting for 65 %, 54.4 % and 52 %, respectively, of all injuries in rural children. Home and its immediate surroundings (64.4 %) was the most common setting for injuries. Maternal age, education and working status were also associated with childhood injuries (p < 0.05). Children of second and third birth order were at higher risk for injuries (p < 0.0001). Childhood injuries account for a substantial healthcare burden in Egypt. Our findings emphasise the importance of developing national preventive programs designed to reduce the incidence of childhood injuries.