Analysis of the injury surveillance data of students in Chengdu from 2006 to 2007

Objective The study was conducted to explore the epidemiological characteristics of injuries of primary and/or high school students in Chengdu in order to provide scientific evidence for the development of strategies for the prevention and control of injuries.Methods One grade-3 level-A hospital and two grade-2 hospitals in Chengdu were selected by stratified random sampling for the surveillance.From January 1,2006 to December 31,2007,primary and/or high school students who initially visited these hospitals and were confirmed injuries were requested to complete a unified questionnaire,of which the results would be analyzed for the causes,types and characteristics of injury.Results The male-female ratio of the 3753 subjects was 2.09∶1,consisting mostly of primary students(56.62%),followed by senior high school students(23.79%) and then junior high school students(19.58%).The top three causes of injury in primary school students were in turn falling,animal bites and traffic accidents;in junior high school students falling,blunt injuries,traffic accidents;and in senior high school students falling,traffic accidents,stab injuries.The injuries were prone to occur in July,August and September,mostly at 6-8 PM.The head was more frequently injured,as found from the results.Although the majority of injuries were associated with unintentional accidents,suicide and self-mutilation still existed.Conclusion Animal bites and traffic accidents resulted in a grave threatening situation for the safety and health of students in Chengdu.It is necessary to take proper measures in light of the epidemiological characteristics of injury in Chengdu to better prevent and control student injuries.