Epidemiology of non-fatal injuries among adolescents in an urban Niger delta community of Nigeria.

BACKGROUND

Injuries affect the lives of 10 - 30 million children and adolescents each year and have been acknowledged as the leading cause of mortality among young people in the age range of 15 - 19 years. Injury, as a research problem has been largely ignored in developing countries like Nigeria.

AIMS

This study was aimed at determining injury prevalence, external causes / mechanism of injury, various factors affecting injury occurrence, injury severity, type of treatment received, as well as the most common days and times of injury.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN

The study was conducted in the Agbor Metropolis of the oil-rich Niger delta region of Nigeria and adopted a cross-sectional study design.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Semi-structured questionnaires were distributed to 386 subjects selected using a stratified and simple random technique.

ANALYSIS

Analysis was done using Social Science Statistical Package, with the level of significance taken at 0.05

RESULTS

Injury prevalence was 284 (73.6%) with a mean frequency of 1.8 per child. About (221) 57.3% of the injuries sustained resulted in 1+ day's activity loss, with about 136 (35.2%) requiring medical attention. The top injury sites were street / road, 49 (12.69%) and school environment and sporting arena, 47 (12.18%), respectively, followed by home vicinity, 43 (11.14%). The key causes of injury were collision, 53 (13.73%), falling, 41 (10.62%), and cut / stabbing, 41 (7.51%). Most treatments were at the hospital, 136 (47.72%). Most injuries occurred in the afternoons, 108 (28%) and evenings, 89 (23.1%). Injury experience was associated with Respondents / Parents level of education, family type, alcohol consumption, and age (P < 0.05 for all).

CONCLUSION

Injury experience was relatively high and varied with site, activity, age, family type, alcohol consumption, and parental educational status.