Unintentional injury among low-income 5-year-olds with chronic health conditions

Abstract

Growing numbers of children suffer from chronic health conditions, and initial evidence suggests chronic illness may be associated with increased child injury risk. We examined injury risk among 5-year-olds with and without chronic health conditions. Data from a diverse US sample of 7954 low-income 5-year-olds participating in the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study were analysed. Mothers reported demographics, presence/absence of eight chronic health conditions, and whether children had experienced injuries requiring professional medical attention in the past year. Primary analyses used ordinal logistic regression. Asthma, bronchitis, recurrent ear infections, hay fever/allergies and speech problems associated with increased injury risk (OR range = 1.20-1.49 in bivariate ordinal logistic regression, ps < 0.01). Children with cerebral palsy had reduced injury risk (OR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.15-0.91, p < 0.05). Most findings held after including demographic covariates in multivariate models. Because a range of chronic health conditions associated with increased injury risk, the causal mechanism behind relations between chronic illness and injury risk may not be disease-specific. Instead, factors related to having chronic medical conditions-not any particular condition-might contribute. Possible mediators include impaired family functioning, impaired peer relations, and familiarity with the health system/health-seeking behaviours.