Idan Jacob Solomon, Nakua Emmanuel Kweku, Mintah Shadrach, Stevens Joycelyn Serwaa, Adjei-Boadu Eric
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Directorate of Health Services, University of Education Winneba, Ghana.
J Public Health Res. 2025 Sep 10;14(3):22799036251365570. doi: 10.1177/22799036251365570. eCollection 2025 Jul.
Childhood injuries, particularly falls, are a significant public health concern in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). In 2021, falls among persons less than 18 years was estimated to be approximately 350,000 with Low- and Middle-Income Countries mostly affected. This study aims to assess the risk factors associated with falls among children in Ghana using data from multiple teaching hospitals.
A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from four tertiary teaching hospitals in Ghana. The study included 1555 children under 18 years who presented with unintentional injuries between January 2017 and December 2020. Generalized logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for falls.
Falls were the predominant injury mechanism, accounting for 55% of all reported injuries. Children aged 5-12 years constituted the largest proportion (47%) of fall cases, with males (69%) experiencing falls more frequently than females (31%). Urban residents accounted for 64% of fall injuries compared to rural (22%) and peri-urban (14%) areas. After adjustment for confounders, younger age groups showed significantly higher falls risk: infants (aRR = 1.16), toddlers (aRR = 1.61), and preschoolers (aRR = 1.46) compared to adolescents. Being Male (aRR = 1.16) and guardian's tertiary education level (aRR = 1.46) were also identified as significant risk factors of fall.
This study identified age, gender, and guardian's education level as significant risk factors for childhood falls in Ghana. These findings provide insight for targeted interventions to reduce fall-related injuries among children in Ghana and similar LMICs.
儿童伤害，尤其是跌倒，是低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs）的一个重大公共卫生问题。2021年，估计18岁以下人群的跌倒次数约为35万次，受影响最大的是低收入和中等收入国家。本研究旨在利用多家教学医院的数据评估加纳儿童跌倒的相关危险因素。
采用加纳四家三级教学医院的数据进行横断面研究。该研究纳入了2017年1月至2020年12月期间出现意外伤害的1555名18岁以下儿童。使用广义逻辑回归来确定跌倒的危险因素。
跌倒是主要的伤害机制，占所有报告伤害的55%。5至12岁的儿童占跌倒病例的最大比例（47%），男性（69%）比女性（31%）更频繁地跌倒。城市居民占跌倒伤害的64%，而农村地区（22%）和城郊地区（14%）较低。在对混杂因素进行调整后，较年轻年龄组的跌倒风险显著更高：与青少年相比，婴儿（调整后相对风险[aRR]=1.16）、学步儿童（aRR=1.61）和学龄前儿童（aRR=1.46）。男性（aRR=1.16）和监护人的高等教育水平（aRR=1.46）也被确定为跌倒的重要危险因素。
本研究确定年龄、性别和监护人的教育水平是加纳儿童跌倒的重要危险因素。这些发现为有针对性的干预措施提供了思路，以减少加纳和类似低收入和中等收入国家儿童与跌倒相关的伤害。
