A Cross-Sectional Study on Prevalence and Pattern of Childhood Injuries in Rural and Urban Communities of Telangana State, South India: Burden of Childhood Injuries

Abstract

Background: Injuries are leading cause of disability and premature mortality in children below 18 years of age and are a growing public health concern globally. There is an urgent need to understand injury epidemiology and its prevention. Aim: The study aims to identify the prevalence and pattern of injuries and its associated factors among children (≤18 years) in peri-urban communities. Methods: The present cross-sectional community-based survey undertaken in peri-urban communities of Telangana, South India. Two areas each from urban and peri-urban communities were randomly selected from the total clusters of villages under the purview of urban and rural health centers. House-to-house survey was conducted by trained field assistant and data were collected on sociodemographic details, injury history, causes, and consequences, community practices with the help of a structured questionnaire administered to parent/guardian of the children. Results: Study findings identify 53.6% children encountered at least one injury during 1 year period, which was 52.45% among children below 5 years of age, which was documented higher (66.3%) in children between 16 and 18 years age. Overall prevalence shows that 54% were unintentional injuries, 34% intentional injuries, and 12% uninjured. Injury prevalence was higher among rural children than urban children and was slightly higher in boys (53.8%) than girls (51.99%). Conclusions: Multi-faceted approach to document injury burden, strengthening primary health care through for appropriate mechanisms for injury registry and capacity building among gross root health workers, and primary health providers and school safety education is an urgent need in countries like India.