CHILDHOOD
INJURY IN HONG KONG
CB Chow, C Chan, J Cheng, B Lui, WL Cheung,
TW Wong, K Chan S Tsui
Hong Kong Childhood Injury Prevention and Research
Association
Objective: To
compile a profile of unintentional childhood residential injuries (URCI) in
Hong Kong that provides an overall pattern of morbidity in URCI and their
correlates such as socio-economic background, demographic information, antecedent
context, and facilitates injury prevention initiatives and prevention
efforts.
Method: A
multi-site cross-sectional study at three local hospitals interviewing
primary caregivers of 0-15-year-old children admitted into the Accident and
Emergency Department for an episode of URCI. Respondents were asked to
provide the following information: demographics of the injured child and
his / her family, cause of injury according to the International
Classification of External Cause of Injury (ICECI), as well as supervision
pattern and a short narrative description of the injury.
Results: Of 4896 URCI compiled, 60.3% were
young children at 0-4-year-old, 59.3% were male, and 29.2% required further
medical attention. The majority of injuries (81%) documented involved
contact with blunt object, followed by cutting / tearing (5.9%) and contact
with hot liquid (5.7%). Building / building component and fitting (51.4%),
furnishing (16.5%), and person other than self (4.4%) were the most
frequently observed objects involved. Most injuries took place in the
living room (52.6%) or bedroom (31.1%) and 54.1% of injured children were
engaging in leisure activity.
Conclusions: Results
from this study has arrived at estimates consistent with previous local
work and international comparison. Further analyses will be performed on
the present data set to explore i) the relationship between presence of
grandparents in household and supervision, and ii) requirements and
obstacles in developing a longitudinal and sustainable injury reporting
system in Hong Kong. Intervention measures taken in Hong Kong will be also
be discussed.