Characteristics and related factors of nonfatal injuries among adolescents and college students in Shenzhen city of China

Abstract

BackgroundInjuries impact adolescents and young adults in unique ways. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence rate of nonfatal injuries, and identify characteristics and risk factors for the injuries among adolescents and college students in Shenzhen, China.MethodsA total of 4,138 students from 79 classes were selected using a purposive sampling method in 2010. The questionnaire included personal demographics, behavioral factors, and self-perceived agrypnia. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the risk factors of injury.ResultsThe annual incidence rate of nonfatal injuries was 13.5%. Injuries were significantly correlated with gender (boys vs. girls, adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.58, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30-1.93) and self-perceived agrypnia (sometimes vs. no, adjusted OR, 1.64, 95% CI, 1.31-2.05; often vs. no, adjusted OR, 2.34, 95% CI, 1.74-3.14), attending PE class ( >2 classes/week vs. ≤ 2 classes/week, adjusted OR, 1.25, 95% CI, 1.04-1.51), sexual behaviors (yes vs. no, adjusted OR, 1.46, 95% CI, 1.03-2.07), physical fighting (yes vs. no, adjusted OR, 1.84, 95% CI, 1.49-2.28), alcohol consumption (yes vs. no, adjusted OR, 1.29, 95% CI, 1.06-1.59), unsafe cycling (yes vs. no, adjusted OR, 1.47, 95% CI, 1.20-1.80) and skating in unsafe places (yes vs. no, adjusted OR, 1.57, 95% CI, 1.10-2.24). Additionally, falls were the leading cause of injuries, and gymnasiums of schools were the most-reported places where injuries occurred.ConclusionsNonfatal injuries have turned into a pressing public health problem among adolescents and college students in Shenzhen, China. Strategies targeting the risk factors may be effective for the prevention of injuries.

High rate of injuries among students in Southern Nigeria: An urgent call to action

“…As expected, the rate of fall was significantly higher in males than females. This study conforms to other reports that have identified falls as the predominant cause of injury among adolescents [12,28,33,35,36]. The prevention of falls is undetermined by the numerous factors leading up to them, thus this is a challenge for both school and community based education program.…”

“…Considerable numbers of studies around the globe has reported similar findings [7,8,10,12,28]. This is probably because males have higher levels of sensation seeking [29][30][31], and are more impulsive [32] thus are more likely to engage in risky behaviour than females [32][33][34].…”

“…The prevention of falls is undetermined by the numerous factors leading up to them, thus this is a challenge for both school and community based education program. Child falls may occur largely as a result of their innate curiosity of their surroundings, risk taking characteristics [33,37] and immature judgment. Adolescent falls may be associated with their personality like high-level activity.…”

Injury-Related Profiles among School-Aged Children in Cameroon: Analysis Based on the “First Survey—Health Young People”

“…In his paper on injuries and social determinants among in-school adolescents in six African countries, Peltzer [13] also don't find a link with physical activity but he found association with smoking and drinking. It is the same observations in a Chinese cohort of students, for Zhou, Chen and Dong [44] which found an association with alcohol consumption but also with the trying smoking behavior. Muula [7] and colleagues, in their study based on the data of the Djibouti Global School-based Health Survey, found that adolescents who smoke cigarettes were more likely to report injuries.…”

“…Regarding the injuries types, this indicator was much more associated in case of work injuries and to a lesser extent in case of traffic injuries but these observations remained not in multivariate models. However, Zhou, Chen and Dong [44] have found an increase of the injury proportions with the increase of the self-perceived agrypnia in a cohort of Chinese students. Also, Li [58] and colleagues have shown a negative association between sleep duration and occurrence of injuries among school-aged children in rural China.…”