Analysis of epidemiological characteristics and influential factors of injuries among preschool children in urban-rural fringe areas of Ningbo

Objective To determine the epidemiological characteristics and influential factors of injuries among preschool children in urban-rural fringe areas of Ningbo. Methods A total of 891 preschool children from 8 administrative villages under Gaoqiao Town, Yinzhou district, Ningbo were surveyed using questionnaires, investigating injuries to them in the past year (from January 11 to December 31,2007 ) and the related factors. Results In the past year, the 891 children underwent 120 injury cases with an overall incidence of 13.47%. This value was 15.45% for males and 11.17% for females. The top five causes of injury were as follows in descending order: falling (55.00%), animal bites (10.00%), burns (6.67%), blunt wounds (5.83%) and traffic accidents (5.83%). The outcomes varied in the preschool children injured at different time and treated in different ways after injury. Multivariate Logistic regressions analysis revealed that older age, not attending kindergarten, absence of housemaids care, lower maternal education level and other family environmental hazards constituted the risk factors of children injuries. Conclusion In view of the prevalence of injuries in the fringe areas that severely compromises preschool childrens health, it is essential to implement interventional control measures against injuries according to the risk factors of children injuries in a timely manner.