Identification of risk factors for non-fatal child injury in a rural area: Keokuk County Rural Health Study.

OBJECTIVE

To identify risk factors for non-fatal injury among rural children.

DESIGN

Cross sectional health interview survey, 1994-98.

SETTING

A rural Iowa county, not adjacent to a metropolitan area.

SUBJECTS

Stratified, random sample of households, including all resident children and adults.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Injury episodes in the past 12 months among children aged 0-17 years and the parental and child characteristics associated with these episodes.

RESULTS

Of the 621 children in participating households, 137 or 22.1% were injured during the past 12 months. Children age 5-17 on a sports team were 1.88 times (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07 to 3.31) more likely than other children to be injured. Children age 12-17 who binge drink were 3.50 times (95% CI 1.31 to 9.50) more likely than other children to be injured. Compared with children not on sports teams, girls on teams were 2.26 times (95% CI 1.02 to 5.13) more likely while boys on teams were 1.60 times (95% CI 0.71 to 3.68) more likely to have an injury episode. Compared with children who did not binge drink, girls binge drinking were 8.11 times (95% CI 1.52 to 43.33) more likely while boys binge drinking were 2.19 times (95% CI 0.70 to 6.84) more likely to have an injury episode.

CONCLUSIONS

Local studies such as this can provide useful clues regarding the etiology of injury. Some known and some new potential risk factors including behavioral aspects for childhood non-fatal injury in a very rural area were investigated. It is planned to address these cross sectional findings in future longitudinal follow up of this population.