[Children's accidents treated at health centers]

Abstract

Objectives: To find the characteristics of accidents to children treated at our Health Centres.

Design: A descriptive crossover study.

Setting: Almanjayar and Cartuja Health Centres, Granada.

Patients: The 0 to 14 age-group treated at our centres because of an accident.

Measurements and main results: The number of accidents to children treated at our health centres during 1994 was 217. The most common accidents were, in descending order: falls, 27%; burns, 20.7%; traffic accidents, 17%; poisoning, 15%; inhalation of foreign bodies, 10.5%; bites and aggressions, 9.2%. 48.3% of the accidents occurred at home, 37.7% in the street and 13.8% at school. In the relation of type of accident to age group, we found that burns affected children under 5 to a greater extent. Poisoning was more common between 5 and 9. Traffic accidents and falls affected children between 10 and 14 more. The relationship between age and type of accident is significant (p < 0.005). There is no significant connection between gender and type of accident.

Conclusions: Age and some types of accident are directly related. The majority of accidents tend to occur at home and in the street. We consider that prevention is the best way of decreasing accidents to children. Programmes involving children, parents and teachers should be set up.