Abstract
Background Unintentional injuries are a public health problem throughout the world including Africa. Most of the injury studies in Ethiopia are from the healthcare facility or workplace that does not reflect the problem at the community level. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the unintentional injuries and sociodemographic factors among households in Ethiopia. Methods This study was done from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2016. The survey collected information about unintentional injuries and injury mechanisms in the past 12 months among 16,650 households. The selection of households was from nine regions and two city administrations of Ethiopia using a stratified cluster sampling procedure. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the data and the chi-square test was applied as a test of significance and a p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result Of the 16,650 households that participated in the study, 394 (2.4%) reported that at least one household member suffered from an unintentional injury in the past 12 months. The leading mechanisms of injury were unintentional falls (152 falls, 33.2%) and road traffic incidents (96 incidents, 21.0%). Among household members who were injured, 84.3% survived and 15.7% died because of the injury. Divorce marital status of the household head [AOR: 2.12, 95% CI (1.12–4.41)] and family size of the household ≥ 6 [AOR:1.65, 95% CI (1.21–2.26)] were associated with high likelihood of occurrence of an injury, while lowest household wealth index [AOR: 0.69, 95% CI (0.50–0.95)] was protective against injuries. Conclusion A low prevalence of unintentional injury was found from the community in this survey, which might be due to the tendency of the community to report severe injuries. Fall and road traffic accidents were the leading mechanisms of selected sociodemographic factors of the households that were associated with unintentional injuries. Injury prevention efforts should focus on falls and transportation injuries with special attention to the sociodemographic context of the communities.
Highlights
More than 5 million people die each year as a result of injuries worldwide [1]
1.35 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes [5]
Materials and Methods is study was conducted in Ethiopia based on the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) data. e survey was regularly conducted every five years and collected health and health-related information at the household level from selected enumeration areas. e survey was administered by the Central Statistical Agency (CSA) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and collaborative partners [26]
Summary
More than 5 million people die each year as a result of injuries worldwide [1]. Road traffic incidents and fall injuries are major public health issues in the world. A road traffic incident is the leading mechanism of injury accidents [5]. 1.35 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes [5]. Road traffic injuries are the main cause of death among people aged 5–29 years [5, 6]. Erefore, this study aimed to assess the unintentional injuries and sociodemographic factors among households in Ethiopia. E leading mechanisms of injury were unintentional falls (152 falls, 33.2%) and road traffic incidents (96 incidents, 21.0%). Fall and road traffic accidents were the leading mechanisms of selected sociodemographic factors of the households that were associated with unintentional injuries. Injury prevention efforts should focus on falls and transportation injuries with special attention to the sociodemographic context of the communities
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