Prevalence and psychosocial factors associated with serious injuries among in-school adolescents in eight sub-Saharan African countries

BMC Public Health

Eric Abodey¹  Richard Gyan Aboagye²  John Elvis Hagan³  James Boadu Frimpong³  John Jackson Nsiah⁴  Abdul- Aziz Seidu⁴  Dickson Okoree Mireku⁵  Bright Opoku Ahinkorah⁶ 

[1] Department of Education and Psychology Studies, University of Cape Coast;Department of Family and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences;Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast;Department of Real Estate Management, Takoradi Technical University;Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance, University of Cape Coast;School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney;

关键词: Adolescents;    Injuries;    Sub-Saharan Africa;    Public Health;    Global School-based Student Health Survey;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-022-13198-6

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background Injury is one of the major causes of death and illness among children and adolescents worldwide. We sought to investigate the prevalence of serious injury and its associated factors among in-school adolescents in eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods A sample of 14,967 in-school adolescents was drawn from the Global School-based Student Health Surveys conducted from 2012 to 2017 in eight sub-Saharan African countries. Data were collected using self-administered structured questionnaires. The prevalence of serious injuries was calculated using proportions while multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine the factors associated with serious injuries. Results Approximately 45% of in-school adolescents had experienced serious injuries during the past 12 months to the survey in the eight sub-Saharan African countries, with variations from 32.3% in Mauritius to 68.2% in Liberia. Adolescents who experienced bullying [aOR = 2.37, CI = 2.10, 2.68], those who engaged in physical fight [aOR = 2.14, CI = [1.87, 2.44], those who experienced an attack [aOR = 1.96, CI = [1.73, 2.22], those who felt anxious [aOR = 1.47, CI = 1.22,1.77], those who attempted suicide [aOR = 1.38, CI = 1.14, 1.65], truants [aOR = 1.33, CI = [1.17,1.51], current tobacco users [aOR = 1.42, CI = [1.01, 2.01] and current marijuana users [aOR = 1.78, CI = 1.08, 2.93] had higher odds of experiencing serious injuries. However, those whose parents or guardians respected their privacy had lower odds of experiencing serious injuries [aOR =0.78, CI = [0.68, 0.88] compared to those whose parents or guardians did not respect their privacy. Conclusion A relatively high prevalence of serious injuries among in-school adolescents was identified in the eight sub-Saharan African countries studied. Programs and interventions that target the reduction of injuries in educational institutions should take a keen interest in the factors identified in this study. To deal with injury victims, first aid services should be provided in school settings.

【 授权许可】

Unknown