A community-based study of
injuries leading to death of children in the suez Canal area, egypt
Waheeb Y1, El-Sayed
H2, El-Shishy S1, Abdel-Hamid M3
Departments of Community
Medicine1, Pediatrics2, and Orthopedics3
Objectives:
To determine the magnitude and the specific causes of injury deaths in
comparison to other causes of death during childhood.
Methods: A
geographically stratified cluster sample of the study population, which
consisted of 25 clusters, each including 40 households. Data were collected
from 982 households on past deaths of children. Results: Collected data showed that 412 deaths occurred in the
selected households in the three governorates. Injuries constituted 9% of
all the deaths. Injury deaths increased gradually with the child��s age,
from 2% in the first year of life, to more than half the deaths at the age
group (15-18 years). Motor vehicle injuries and drowning were the most
common causes of injury deaths, each causing 29% of the deaths. Followed by
burns and mine explosions each causing 10% of deaths, while poisoning and
falls each caused 5% of injury deaths. Injury deaths as a proportion of all
deaths were not significantly different between males and females, or
between the different study governorates.
Conclusion: Injuries became one of
the leading causes of death in childhood after the first year of life. With
the successful efforts in the control of infectious diseases, injury is
expected to take the lead as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality
in childhood in the near future. Therefore, there is increasing need for a
national program for the control of injuries in the country. We recommend
the establishment of National Safety Council to plan for injury control
program in Egypt, and to improve injury registration system in health care
facilities.