Prevalence and Correlates of Unintentional Injuries among In-School Adolescents in Ghana

Abstract

Injuries among adolescents pose significant public health problems. Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of adolescents’ mortality and disability with the largest burden in low-and middle-income countries. Yet, there is paucity of data in Ghana on adolescent injuries. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of unintentional injuries among in-school adolescents in Ghana using data from the Global School-Based Health Survey. Cross-sectional data on 2058 adolescents in junior and senior high schools who randomly participated in the 2012 Global School-Based Health Survey were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were performed to determine the prevalence of unintentional injuriesacross the background characteristics of in-school adolescents. Binary logistic regression was employed to determine the factors associated with unintentional injuries. The results were presented as crude and adjusted odds ratios at a 95% confidence interval. The prevalence of one or more serious injuries in the past 12 months was 57.0%. The most commonly reported type and cause of injuries were “I had a cut or stab wound” (15.2%) and “I fell” (13.1%), respectively. In the adjusted regression, in-school adolescents aged 14–16 (aOR = 1.60, CI = 1.12–2.28) were more likely to report one or more serious injuries compared to their counterparts aged 13 or younger. In-school adolescents who participated in physical education (aOR = 1.27, CI = 1.03–1.58) had higher odds of reporting one or more serious injuries. The odds of being injured was higher among adolescents who were truant at school compared to those who were not truant (aOR = 1.42, CI = 1.14–1.77) In-school adolescents who were bullied were more likely to report being injured one or multiple times compared to their counterparts who were not bullied (aOR = 2.16, CI = 1.75–2.65). In addition, the odds of being injured once or multiple times were higher among adolescents who were physically attacked (aOR = 2.21, CI = 1.78–2.75), those that engaged in physical fighting (aOR = 1.94, CI = 1.54–2.45), and those who reported high psychological distress (aOR = 2.00, CI = 1.52–2.63) compared to their counterparts who were not. Conversely, adolescents in senior high schools were 39% less likely to be injured once or multiple times compared to those in junior high schools (aOR = 0.61, CI = 0.47–0.79). A relatively high prevalence of unintentional injuries was found among in-school adolescents in the study. The numerous factors identified in this study could be integrated into health promotion and injury prevention activities to help reduce the occurrence of injuries among in-school adolescents. Moreover, students who are susceptible to unintended injuries such as older adolescents, victims of bullying, those who participate in physical education, those who are often involved in fights, truants, and those who have psychological distress should be sensitized to take measures that will reduce their level of susceptibility. First aid treatment services should also be made available in schools to treat victims of unintended injuries.

Prevalence and psychosocial factors associated with serious injuries among in-school adolescents in eight sub-Saharan African countries

“…Adolescents who engaged in a physical fight had a higher tendency of experiencing serious injuries than those who never engaged in a fight. The current finding supports previous studies [ 20 , 23 ]. Perhaps, the strong association between indulging in aggressive behaviors such as engaging in physical fights and injury sustenance could account for this noted finding [ 23 ].…”

“…Corroborating the findings of previous studies [ 17 , 20 , 23 ], the study found that adolescents who experienced bullying were more likely to experience serious injuries than those who were never bullied. From the frustration-aggression perspective, adolescents who are bullied are more likely to retaliate violent behaviors perpetrated against them, causing them to be physically attacked which subsequently increases their probability of sustaining injuries [ 23 – 25 ].…”

“…The prevalence of serious injuries among in-school adolescents in SSA was 45.3%. The reported prevalence is lower than what has been previously reported in Ghana (57.0%; 66%) [ 20 , 21 ], Liberia (71.6%) [ 22 ], and Nigeria (73.6%) [ 9 ], but higher than what was reported in four countries in Asia (36.9%) [ 15 ]. A possible reason for this finding could be attributed to the sample size used for the study as well as the scope of the study area.…”

“…Akin to the findings of other previous studies [ 18 , 20 ], the study found that adolescents who experienced physical attacks had a higher likelihood of experiencing serious injuries than those who were not physically attacked. It is possible that adolescents who were physically attacked also responded with violent behaviors such as fighting back, making them more likely to sustain serious injuries [ 18 ].…”

Suicide Attempts among School-Attending Adolescents in Mongolia: Associated Factors and Gender Differences

“…The present study found that injury contributed to the increased likelihood of high psychological distress including suicidal behavior among young people. Injury may have poorly affected the physical and psychological health of adolescents, making them vulnerable to mental distress [ 41 ].…”