Abstract
ObjectivesWe compared the patterns of medically attended injuries between children with and without disabilities and explored the residential environment risks in five counties of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China by a 1∶1 matched case-control study based on the biopsychosocial model of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health – ICF.Methods1201 children aged 1–14 with disabilities and 1201 their healthy counterparts matched as having the same gender, same age, and lived in the same neighborhood were recruited in our study. Characteristics of injuries in the past 12 months were compared between children with and without disabilities. The associations among disability status, home environment factors and injuries were examined in logistic regression analysis taking into account sociodemographic factors.ResultsChildren with disabilities had a significantly higher prevalence of injury than children without disabilities (10.2% vs. 4.4%; P<.001). The two groups differed significantly in terms of number of injury episodes, injury place and activity at time of injury. Falls were the leading mechanism of injury regardless of disability status. Most of the injury events happened inside the home and leisure activities were the most reported activity when injured for both groups. The univariate OR for injury was 4.46 (2.57–7.74) for the disabled children compared with the non-disabled children. Disabled children whose family raised cat/dog(s) were 76% more likely to be injured during the last 12 months (OR = 1.76; 95% CI = 1.02, 3.02),comparing with those whose family did not have any cat/dog. And for children without disabilities, those whose family had cat/dog(s) were over 3 times more likely to having injuries comparing with those whose family did not have any cat/dog.ConclusionsChildren with disabilities had a significantly increased risk for injury. Interventions to prevent residential injury are an important public health priority in children with disabilities.
Highlights
It is estimated that 10% of children globally suffer from some kind of disability, and most of whom live in low- and middle-income countries [1,2]
Children who have disabilities have much higher costs resulting from disability–such as costs associated with medical care or assistive devices, or the need for personal support and assistance–and often require more resources than do their healthy peers
A total of 1201 disabled children aged 1 to 14 years and 1201 their healthy controls were included in our study
Summary
It is estimated that 10% of children globally (approximately 200 million) suffer from some kind of disability, and most of whom live in low- and middle-income countries [1,2]. Despite rising interest in child disability, little is known about the frequency and situation of children with disabilities in the developing world [3]. In China, with the improvements in health care services and a decrease in child mortality, disabled children have been more likely to survive in greater numbers and come much more than before. According to a national survey, approximately 3.87 million children younger than 14 years of age in China had a disability [4]. There is a paucity of research about the child disability, despite the fact that a large burden of disability on child development, economics, and family life in China
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