Unintentional Injuries Among Under-five Children in a Rural Area in Delhi

Indian Pediatr. 2021 Jun 15;58(6):560-563. Epub 2020 Aug 29.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of unintentional injuries and its associated factors among under-five children in Rural Delhi.

Methods: This community based cross-sectional study was conducted in Pooth Khurd village of Delhi during 2018 among under-five children and their care givers. Primary caregivers of the child in the randomly selected households were interviewed using a semi-structured pretested questionnaire. Data related to unintentional injuries in past 12 months and its associated factors were collected.

Results: Unintentional injuries were prevalent in 29.3% (95% CI: 25.8-32.9) of the 650 under-five children included. Male children had 1.4 times increased prevalence of injuries (aPR=1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-1.7). As the age increases from 2 years to 5 years the prevalence of injuries increased constantly from 29% to 50%. The prevalence of unintentional injuries was significantly higher among children of working mothers (aPR=1.7, 95% CI: 1.4-2.1), family with more than 3 children (aPR=1.6, 95% CI:1.1-2.4), household without a separate kitchen (aPR=1.6, 95% CI:1.2-2.2) and household with inadequate lighting (aPR=1.8, 95% CI:1.4-2.3).

Conclusions: The factors significantly associated with unintentional injuries were male gender, higher age of the children, maternal occupation, increased number of children in the family, not having a separate kitchen and inadequate lighting.

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Family Characteristics*
  • Humans
  • India / epidemiology
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Factors
  • Rural Population
  • Wounds and Injuries* / epidemiology