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Browsing College of Health Sciences by Subject "A community-Based study of Injury"

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    A community-Based study of Injury in Bahir-Dar zuria woreda, west-Gojjam Administrative Zone
    (Addis Abeba Universty, 1994-05) Yigzaw, Asnakew; Stansfield, Sally K.(PhD)
    A cross-sectional, community-based study of injury was conducted in Bahir-Dar Zuria Woreda between October and December 1993. A study population of 13,286 was surveyed in five randomly selected kebeles, three of which were rural and two urban. A four-week recall period was used to estimate an incidence of injury of 550 per 1000 per year. The most common injuries were due to cutting and piercing objects or other mechanical injury (61.2%), animal injury (11.2%) and falls (10%). The home and its immediate environment were the main sites of occurrence of injury (52.7%), followed by roads or paths (21%) and farms (16.4%). Lower and upper extremities were the body parts affected in 48% and 29% of cases respectively. Over 81% of injuries in adults were occupational. Age and sex were found to be risk factors for injury, with males at higher risk of injuries than females (ratio of 1.8: 1) . Injury incidence increased significantly with increasing age. Children under five were at greater risk of falls and burn injuries. Urban residents, farmers, those who reported alcohol intoxication in the last month, and those owning no animals were also at significantly increased risk of injury. v Treatment was obtained for 33% of injuries, of which 38% were treated at home, 26% treated in out-patient heal th facilities, and five percent admitted to hospital. The average expenditure for medical care, including transport, of injured persons was 16 birr ($US 2.58). Over 35% of injuries resulted in one or more days of restricted activity, with an average duration of disability of 10 days. Based on the discounted healthy years of life (DHLYs) lost due to injury mortality and disability in the study population, it is estimated that annual national losses for treatment and lost productivity are in excess of EtB one billion (US$17l million) . The ratio of indirect to direct costs of injury was 11:1. Ini tial strategies for prevention and control of this neglected public health problem are recommended based on the study findings. A comprehensive national injury control program will require multi sectoral approaches and intervention from the national to the community level.