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Comparison of Intentional and Unintentional Injuries Among Chinese Children and Adolescents
Xiling Yin1,2, Deyun Li2, Kejing Zhu2
1Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
Insights
Intentional injuries are more common in Chinese males, rural children, and older students. Preventive measures should focus on school violence and self-harm reduction.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Injury Prevention
Background:
- Limited data exists on intentional injuries versus unintentional injuries in Chinese children and adolescents.
- This study provides a comprehensive overview of intentional injury patterns in China.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the patterns and risk factors of intentional injuries in Chinese children and adolescents.
- To compare intentional injuries with unintentional injuries.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the National Injury Surveillance System (2006-2017) for individuals aged 0-17.
- Employed logistic regression to identify risk factors for intentional injuries.
Main Results:
- Identified 4,218 intentional injuries (4.9%) and 81,459 unintentional injuries.
- Risk factors for intentional injuries included being male, from rural areas, a student, or staff/worker, with increased risk in older age groups and late-night hours.
- Violent attacks comprised the majority of intentional injuries, with blunt trauma being most common; self-mutilation/suicide involved cuts and poisoning.
Conclusions:
- Intentional injuries disproportionately affect males, rural children, older children, students, and workers.
- Injury mechanisms and timing vary by age.
- Recommendations include reducing rural student dropout, enhancing school violence prevention, and addressing self-harm.
Background:
The patterns and risk factors of intentional injuries compared to unintentional injuries among Chinese children and adolescents have not been examined in depth. This work comprehensively describes patterns of intentional injuries in China, for which little information has been previously published.
Methods:
All cases involving individuals 0-17 years old registered at emergency rooms and outpatient clinics were examined using data submitted to the National Injury Surveillance System from 2006 through 2017. A logistic regression model was performed to explore the risk factors related to intentional injuries compared to unintentional injuries.
Results:
A total of 81,459 (95.1%) unintentional injuries, 4,218 (4.9%) intentional injuries (4,013 violent attacks and 205 self-mutilation/suicide) cases were identified. Blunt injuries accounted for 59.4% of violent attacks, while cuts and poisoning accounted for 37.1% and 23.4% of injuries involving self-mutilation/suicide, respectively. For unintentional injuries, falls (50.4%) ranked first. Additional risk factors for intentional injuries included being male (odds ratio [OR] 1.6), coming from rural areas (OR 1.9), being staff or workers (OR 2.2), and being a student (OR 1.8). As the age of the patients increased, so did the risk of intentional injuries (OR 5.0 in the 15-17 age group). Intentional injuries were more likely to occur at 00:00-03:00 am (OR 2.0).
Conclusions:
Intentional injuries affected more males, rural and older children, school students, and staff or workers. The mechanisms and occurrence times differed according to age group. Preventive measures should be taken to reduce the dropout of rural students, strengthen the school's violence prevention plan, and reduce self-harm.
