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Prevalence and pattern of childhood injuries in Siliguri City, West Bengal, India
Moumita Basak1, Romy Biswas2, Sharmistha Bhattacherjee3
1Divisional Medical Officer, NJP Railway Hospital, Coochbehar, West Bengal, India.
Insights
Childhood injury is a significant public health issue in Siliguri, with over 21% of children experiencing injuries. Key risk factors include socioeconomic status and supervision during activities.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Childhood injuries present a substantial public health challenge in India, with limited data due to inadequate surveillance systems.
- Recent studies indicate a high burden of childhood injury, underscoring the need for localized data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence, patterns, and associated risk factors of injuries in children aged 0-14 years in Siliguri, West Bengal.
- To inform targeted injury prevention strategies in urban Indian settings.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 780 children aged 0-14 years in Siliguri was conducted using cluster sampling.
- Data on injury events and potential risk factors were collected through maternal interviews.
- Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to identify significant associations between injury and various factors.
Main Results:
- The period prevalence of childhood injury was 21.2%, with an average of 0.28 injury events per child.
- Falls were the most common cause (56.4%), predominantly affecting extremities (62.3%), with most injuries being superficial (53.2%).
- Under-five children were most vulnerable, and injuries were significantly associated with socioeconomic status, sibling presence, outdoor activities, and supervision during travel.
Conclusions:
- Childhood injuries remain highly prevalent in Siliguri, exhibiting distinct patterns and identifiable, preventable risk factors.
- A comprehensive, multi-faceted approach is crucial for effective childhood injury prevention and control.
Background:
Children are vulnerable to injuries, and childhood injury is a complex phenomenon precipitated by a set of factors. In India, the magnitude and nature of childhood injury are not clearly known owing to the absence of a proper injury surveillance system. However, in recent days few studies demonstrated a substantially high burden of childhood injury.
Objectives:
To find out the prevalence, pattern, and the factors associated with injury among children of 0-14 years in the Siliguri city of West Bengal.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 780 children aged 0-14 years residing in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation area selected through cluster sampling technique (30 clusters [wards] with a cluster size of 26). Relevant data were collected by interviewing the mothers of children as respondents and was analyzed using SPSS software, binary logistic regression was applied to test the association between injury and other risk factors.
Results:
Of total 780 children, 165 had reported a total of 220 injury events with an overall period prevalence of 21.2% and a mean of 0.28 injury events per child. Majority of injuries were superficial in nature (53.2%); due to fall (56.4%), extremities were mostly involved (62.3%), and 12.8% cases were moderate-to-severe grade. Under-five children were most vulnerable. Injury was significantly related to socioeconomic status, presence of siblings, outdoor activities, and the presence of supervising person during travelling.
Conclusions:
Childhood injury is still highly prevalent in the area with its unique pattern and few preventable risk factors requiring a multifaceted comprehensive approach.
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