Measuring exposure to injury risk in schoolchildren aged 11-14.

OBJECTIVE

To apply a measure of exposure to injury risk for schoolchildren aged 11-14 across a population and to examine how risk factors vary with sex, age, and affluence.

DESIGN

Self completion questionnaire survey administered in schools in May 1990.

SETTING

24 schools in Newcastle upon Tyne.

SUBJECTS

5334 pupils aged 11-14, of whom 4637 (87%) completed the questionnaire.

RESULTS

Boys were exposed to greater risk than girls in journeys to places to play outdoors; they took longer trips and were more likely to ride bicycles (relative risk 5.30 (95% confidence interval 4.23 to 6.64)) and less likely to travel by public transport or car. Younger pupils (aged 11-12) were less exposed to traffic during journeys to and from school: their journeys were shorter, they were less likely to walk (trip to school, relative risk 0.88 (0.83 to 0.94)), and they were more likely to travel by car (trip to school, relative risk 1.33 (1.13 to 1.56)) or school bus (1.33 (1.10 to 1.62)). Poorer children were exposed to greater risk than affluent children (from families that owned a car and a telephone): they were less likely to travel to school by car (relative risk 0.26 (0.20 to 0.33)) or to be accompanied by an adult (0.39 (0.32 to 0.48)).

CONCLUSION

Injury risk data can provide useful information on child injury prevention and can be used to identify priorities and target resources for injury prevention on a citywide scale or for an individual school.