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Incidence and impact of childhood and adolescent injuries: a population-based study
1Department of Social Medicine, Hadassah Medical Organization and the Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine of the Hebrew University and Hadassah, Jerusalem, Israel. gofin@cc.huji.ac.il
Insights
Many children experience long-term disabilities after unintentional injuries, impacting daily life and leading to parental work absenteeism. Comprehensive rehabilitation is crucial for recovery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Traumatology
- Public Health
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Investigated long-term effects of unintentional injuries in children.
- Focused on disabilities, healthcare utilization, and parental work absence.
- Included 432 Jerusalem residents aged 0-17 years hospitalized for injuries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence and types of disabilities in children post-hospitalization for unintentional injuries.
- To examine the relationship between injury characteristics and disability outcomes.
- To understand the impact on parental work absenteeism.
Main Methods:
- Conducted telephone interviews with parents 6 months after child's hospitalization.
- Utilized a 25-item scale (from International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps) to measure disabilities.
- Assessed limitations in daily and sport activities.
Main Results:
- Six months post-injury, activity limitations ranged from 8.3% (daily) to 19.4% (sport).
- Approximately 33% of children had at least one disability; adolescents showed higher rates.
- Severe injuries, burns, and traffic crashes were linked to greater disability and parental absenteeism.
Conclusions:
- A significant proportion of children face long-term disabilities regardless of injury cause or location.
- Injury sequelae are complex, necessitating coordinated interdisciplinary rehabilitation.
- Rehabilitation should integrate health and other support services for holistic recovery.
Background:
The study of disabilities, use of health services, and absenteeism of parents among 0- to 17-year-old residents of Jerusalem (n = 432) hospitalized for unintentional injuries.
Methods:
Telephone interviews with parents, 6 months after hospitalization. Disabilities among 4 to 17 year olds were measured by a 25-item scale derived from the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps and by limitations of activities.
Results:
Six months after the injury, limitations ranged from 8.3% (daily activities) to 19.4% (sport activities). About one in three presented at least one disability in the 25-item scale. All disabilities were present in higher proportions among adolescents. The more severe injuries whether to the head or other parts of the body presented higher percentages of disabilities. Burns and traffic crashes were associated with higher proportions of disabilities than other causes and with more frequent work absenteeism by their parents.
Conclusion:
A relatively large proportion of children remain with long-term disabilities irrespective of cause and body part injured. Because the sequelae of injuries is multifaceted, rehabilitation should include coordination between health and other services.