Unintentional Injuries In Adolescents Research Articles

Associations between alcohol intake and hospital contacts due to alcohol and unintentional injuries in 71,025 Danish adolescents – a prospective cohort study

Alcohol is a leading risk factor to adolescent health. However, it is unclear how associations between alcohol intake and injuries are shaped. We investigated the dose-response relationship between alcohol intake and risk of hospital contacts due to alcohol and unintentional injuries in adolescents. We conducted a prospective cohort study including 71,025 Danish students aged 15-24 years, followed up for five years from 2014 to 2019. The main outcome measures were hospital contacts due to alcohol and unintentional injuries (all injuries and head injuries), obtained from hospital registers. Approximately 90% of males and females reported drinking alcohol, and the median intake among those was 11 drinks/week in males and 8 drinks/week in females. During five years of follow-up, 1.3% had an alcohol-attributable hospital contact, the majority of which were due to acute intoxication (70%). Alcohol-attributable hospital contacts were equally frequent in males and females and between age groups (15-17-year-olds vs 18-24-year-olds). Compared with never drinking, the adjusted incidence rate ratios for weekly intake of <7, 7-13, 14-20, 21-27, and >27 drinks/week were 1.70 (95% confidence interval 1.23-2.34), 1.77 (1.27-2.46), 1.91 (1.35-2.70), 2.34 (1.59-3.46), and 3.25 (2.27-4.64) for having an alcohol-attributable hospital contact within five years of follow-up. Restricting follow-up to one year more than doubled risk estimates. During the five years of follow-up, 27% incurred an unintentional injury. The most frequent types of injury were to the wrist or hand (27.6%), ankle or foot (25.2%), or head (12.4%). Injuries were more frequent among males (first-time incidence rate 110 per 1000 person-years) compared to females (82 per 1000 person-years), with no differences between age groups. Compared with never drinking, the adjusted incidence rate ratios for weekly intake of <7, 7-13, 14-20, 21-27, and >27 drinks were 1.09 (1.03-1.15), 1.14 (1.07-1.20), 1.25 (1.17-1.33), 1.38 (1.28-1.49), and 1.58 (1.47-1.69) for having a hospital contact for any type of unintentional injury within five years of follow-up. Results for the one-year follow-up period were comparable. Separate analysis for head injuries showed similar results as the analysis on all injuries. Results were generally similar in males and females. Adolescents' drinking is associated with a higher risk of acute harm in terms of hospital contacts due to alcohol and unintentional injuries in a dose-response relationship. Thus, increased risk was apparent in those with low alcohol intake, suggesting a need for awareness of and initiatives to prevent youth drinking. Furthermore, initiatives should include a strengthened focus on people younger than 18 years. This study was funded by the Tryg Foundation (ID: 153539) and The Helse Foundation (21-B-0359).

Unintentional injuries in adolescents: a neglected issue in global health.

Unintentional injuries in adolescents: a neglected issue in global health.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric firearm injuries in Colorado

BackgroundIn 2019 firearm injuries surpassed automobile-related injuries as the leading cause of pediatric death in Colorado. In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to community-level social, economic, and health impacts as well as changes to injury epidemiology. Thus, we sought to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric firearm injuries in Colorado. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective review of pediatric firearm injured patients (≤ 18-years-old) evaluated at three trauma centers in Colorado from 2018–2021. Patients were stratified into two groups based on the time of their firearm injury: pre- COVID injuries and post- COVID injuries. Group differences were examined using t-tests for continuous variables and Chi Squared or Fisher's exact tests for categorical variables. ResultsOverall, 343 firearm injuries occurred during the study period. There was a significant increase in firearm injuries as a proportion of overall pediatric ED trauma evaluations following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (pre COVID: 5.18/100 trauma evaluations; post COVID: 8.61/100 trauma evaluations, p<0.0001). Assaults were the most common injury intent seen both pre and post COVID (70.3% vs. 56.7%, respectively); however, unintentional injuries increased significantly from 10.3% to 22.5% (p = 0.004) following the onset of the pandemic. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a 177% increase in unintentional injuries in adolescents. ConclusionPediatric firearm injuries, particularly unintentional injuries, increased significantly in Colorado following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The substantial increase in unintentional injuries among adolescents highlights the necessity of multi-disciplinary approaches to limit or regulate their access to firearms. Level of EvidenceLevel III. Study TypeRetrospective.

Interactive effects between health literacy and mobile phone dependence as well as its relation with unintentional injuries in middle school students

Objective: To investigate the interaction between health literacy, mobile phone dependence and unintentional injuries in middle school students, and to provide guidance for prevention on unintentional injuries in adolescents. Methods: From November 2015 to January 2016, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 22 628 middle school students in Shenyang of Liaoning province, Bengbu of Anhui province, Xinxiang of Henan province, Ulanqab of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Chongqing and Yangjiang of Guangdong province. Chinese Adolescent Interactive Health Literacy Questionnaire (CAIHLQ), Self-rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use (SQAPMPU), and Unintentional Injuries Assessment Scale and demographic variables were used to measure the health literacy, mobile phone dependence and unintentional injuries among the Chinese middle school students. Results: The detection rates of mobile phone dependence and unintentional injuries were 25.4% and 46.7%, respectively. The rates of unintentional injuries of middle school students with mobile phone dependence and with low, medium and high health literacy were 53.6%, 44.4% and 48.8%, 48.1%, 41.7%. Factors as mobile phone dependence, low and middle health literacy were positively related to unintentional injuries (OR=1.452, 1.196, 1.364). However, the multiplicative interaction between mobile phone dependence and health literacy on unintentional injuries was noticed significant (OR=1.217, 95%CI: 1.041-1.422). Conclusions: Our results showed that the prevalence of unintentional injuries was relatively high in middle school students. Health literacy and mobile phone dependence seemed related to unintentional injuries. Interaction between health literacy and mobile phone dependence on unintentional injuries appeared significant.

Interactions of problematic mobile phone use and psychopathological symptoms with unintentional injuries: a school-based sample of Chinese adolescents.

BackgroundUnintentional injuries are a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in adolescents. Mobile phone use in certain circumstances (e.g., driving, cycling, walking) and mental health conditions are risk factors for unintentional injury. However, research on the interactions between problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) and psychopathological symptoms in unintentional injuries is limited. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of unintentional injuries (road traffic injuries, pedestrian collisions, and falls) and examined interactions of PMPU and psychopathological symptoms with unintentional injuries in a school-based sample of Chinese adolescents.MethodsA total of 14,221 students (6915 middle school students and 7306 high school students) were randomly selected from 32 schools in four cities in China in 2012. The sample comprised 6712 boys and 7509 girls with a mean age of 15.12 years (standard deviation 1.89 years). PMPU, psychopathological symptoms, and unintentional injuries were measured with validated instruments. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to analyze the rates of unintentional injuries, the relationship with PMPU and psychopathological symptoms, and the interactions of PMPU and psychopathological symptoms with unintentional injuries.ResultsThe prevalence of road traffic injuries, pedestrian collisions, and falls were 4.9, 16.2, and 10.1 %, respectively. The rates of unintentional injuries were higher among students with PMPU and psychopathological symptoms. Interaction analysis indicated that psychopathological symptoms were associated with a greater increase in the likelihood of unintentional injuries for adolescents with PMPU than for those without PMPU.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that unintentional injuries in adolescents are an important public health issue in China that merit further research. Intervention programs must consider the adolescents’ behavioral and psychological health.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-2776-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A Review of Unintentional Injuries in Adolescents

Unintentional injuries are the largest source of premature morbidity and mortality and the leading cause of death among adolescents 10-19 years of age. Fatal injury rates of males are twice those of females, and racial disparities in injury are pronounced. Transportation is the largest source of these injuries, principally as drivers and passengers, but also as cyclists and pedestrians. Other major causes involve drowning, poisonings, fires, sports and recreation, and work-related injuries. Implementing known and effective prevention strategies such as using seat belts and bicycle and motorcycle helmets, installing residential smoke alarms, reducing misuse of alcohol, strengthening graduated driver licensing laws, promoting policy change, using safety equipment in sports and leisure, and protecting adolescents at work will all contribute to reducing injuries. The frequency, severity, potential for death and disability, and costs of these injuries, together with the high success potential of prevention strategies, make injury prevention a key public health goal to improve adolescent health in the future.

Policy recommendations expected from meeting on unintentional injuries in adolescents

ADOLESCENTS ARE a unique patient population in the United States. And, because an estimated 55% to 79% of all deaths in this age group are the result of injuries, the American Medical Association (AMA) recently sponsored a conference in Chicago on unintentional injuries in adolescents. Alan Engelberg, MD, MPH, director of the AMA's Department of Public Health, says this conference is the first step in producing specific recommendations for national public policy directed at preventing injuries in adolescents. Since the conference, the AMA's Council on Scientific Affairs has decided to focus on three topics. The first is whether trauma systems are meeting special adolescent needs. Second will be a statement of what constitutes a "mature minor" for the sake of giving consent to medical treatment. The third topic is how adolescents react to serious injuries or deaths among their peers. (Engelberg says there are no guidelines for schools to follow

Policy Recommendations Expected From Meeting on Unintentional Injuries in Adolescents

ADOLESCENTS ARE a unique patient population in the United States. And, because an estimated 55% to 79% of all deaths in this age group are the result of injuries, the American Medical Association (AMA) recently sponsored a conference in Chicago on unintentional injuries in adolescents. Alan Engelberg, MD, MPH, director of the AMA's Department of Public Health, says this conference is the first step in producing specific recommendations for national public policy directed at preventing injuries in adolescents. Since the conference, the AMA's Council on Scientific Affairs has decided to focus on three topics. The first is whether trauma systems are meeting special adolescent needs. Second will be a statement of what constitutes a "mature minor" for the sake of giving consent to medical treatment. The third topic is how adolescents react to serious injuries or deaths among their peers. (Engelberg says there are no guidelines for schools to follow

Adolescent Patients Pose Particular Problems; Physical Fitness May Help Prevent Injuries

TO EMERGENCY medicine physicians, adolescence is that great watershed when youngsters stop coming in because they fell out of a tree or off a skateboard and instead present with injuries from motor vehicle crashes. Teenagers also get hurt on the job, in the military, at home, and during recreation. Injuries account for more than three fourths of all deaths in the age group between 15 and 19 years in the United States and represent 44% of the hospitalization days and 48% of emergency department visits. In response to this, the American Medical Association recently held a conference in Chicago on unintentional injuries in adolescents. (Please see accompanying article.) But even though the adolescent may sustain injuries typical of an adult, in the words of William J. Pokorny, MD, he or she still has the mentality and very limited experience of the child. Pokorny, an associate professor of medicine at Baylor