Self-reported injuries and correlates among school-going adolescents in three countries in Western sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Background Unintentional injuries among adolescents constitute a significant public health problem globally. Injured adolescents may face negative outcomes ranging from poor academic performance to short- and long-term physical and psychosocial health struggles, and even death. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and describe the correlates and most frequent causes of injuries among school-going adolescents in three West African countries – Benin, Ghana, and Liberia. Methods We analysed self-reported data provided by 8,912 school-going adolescents who participated in the Global School-based Student Health Survey in Ghana (2012), Benin (2016), and Liberia (2017). Students responded to questions on sociodemographic factors, family involvement factors, mental health factors, school environment factors and injury behaviours. Results The overall 12-month prevalence estimate of serious injuries in adolescents was 40.9% (Benin = 27.3%; Ghana = 46.1%; Liberia = 49.2%). The most frequently reported injury type was a broken bone or dislocated joint (33% in Benin), cuts or stab wounds (31.7% in Ghana), and non-specified injuries (35.2% in Liberia). Prevalence of serious injuries was higher among males and increased with age. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, interpersonal aggression outside the family context (bullying victimisation, engaging in physical fights, and having been physically attacked) emerged as key correlates of increased odds of serious injuries. Conclusion The relatively higher prevalence estimates of serious injury reported in this study underscore the need for the included countries to develop interventions aimed at reducing and preventing physical injuries among adolescents.

Association of health-risk behaviors with perceived academic performance among middle and high school students: A cross-sectional study in Shanghai, China

“…An India cross-sectional study shown that the sickness absenteeism of unintentional injuries averaged over one week, and about half of injured children missed school after an injury [ 34 ]. Students who are more frequently absent from school have missed teacher-led lessons, peer interactions, and other learning activities, and are consequently likely to obtain lower academic performance [ 35 – 37 ]. With regard to intentional injury, we found that psychological health problems including internalizing and externalizing behaviors were negatively associated with academic performance.…”

Prevalence and factors associated with serious injuries and aggressive behaviours among in-school adolescents in Panama

“…A similar prevalence of serious injuries has been reported in Polynesia (43.1% on Cooks Island, 40.8% in Niue and 49.1% in Tonga) [ 3 ]. In addition, Ghana has reported a similar prevalence (46.1%) of serious injuries among in-school adolescents using a national representative sample [ 21 ]. The current finding is also similar to the overall prevalence of serious injuries found in among adolescents in Malaysia [ 26 ] and four Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand) [ 25 ], which reported prevalence below 50 per cent.…”

Prevalence and correlates of substance use among school-going adolescents (11-18years) in eight Sub-Saharan Africa countries

“…A set of explanatory variables including socio-demographic characteristics (age and sex), mental health variables (anxiety, loneliness and suicidal behaviours), socio-environmental factors (hunger, bullying, physical attack, fighting, tobacco use, cigarette smoking, truancy, and having close friends) and parental factors (supervision, connectedness, knowledge of activity and privacy) were used in the current study based on their relevance in influencing adolescents’ health-related behaviours [ 5 , 9 , 25 , 26 ].…”

“…The prevalence rates vary by country with school-going adolescents in These variations in the prevalence of substance use among school-going adolescents can be attributed to variations in the risk and protective factors of substance use within SSA countries. For example, multi-country studies in SSA have reported variations in risk factors for substance use such as bullying victimization [9], serious injuries [5,26], truancy [25] and suicidal behaviours [19,24]. Specifically, Seychelles has large tourist visits from western countries with liberal attitudes and practices regarding substance use including alcohol and marijuana which could influence school-going adolescents through observational learning.…”