Nonfatal injuries in adolescents: United States, 1988

To describe the incidence and impact of nonfatal injuries in a national sample of adolescents.

Data were obtained from the 1988 Child Health Supplement of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The NHIS is a continuous multistage probability sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. Adolescents 10-17 years old (N = 7,470) of the total number of 17,110 children under 18 years of age in the survey were studied. Incidence rates (I) were calculated for accidents, injuries, and poisonings (AIPs) requiring medical attention in the previous 12 months and recalled by the adult household interviewee. Information on sociodemographic factors and impairment were reported. Sample weights were used to derive population estimates.

In 1988, 4,505,000 adolescents 10-17 years old were estimated to have experienced AIPs in the previous 12 months (I = 16.1/100), resulting in 3.2 mean number days of bed rest, 4.1 mean number of days absent from school, and 20% with limited activity due to AIPs. AIPs were most frequent in older adolescents 14-17 years of age (I = 18.2/100), males (I = 20.3/100), whites (19.5/100), and Midwest U.S. residents (I = 18.1/100). The most frequent AIPs were cuts (I = 59.6/1000), sprains (I = 51.3/1,000), and broken bones (I = 43.1/1,000). AIPs most limiting to adolescents' activity were broken bones (62.6%), head injuries (58.3%), and sprains (55.7%).

Although injury is the leading cause of death in adolescence, it also plays an important role in adolescent morbidity. Further national studies with better documentation of nonfatal injuries are needed to eliminate potential recall bias associated with an interview survey.