Estudo descritivo de quedas entre menores de 15 anos no município de Londrina, Paraná

Abstract

This study seeks to analyze from an epidemiological standpoint the occurrence of falls among children aged under 15 living in Londri-na, Paraná, who were treated in emergency departments, were interned or died due to such events in 2001. Data were obtained from general hospital registries and from the Mortality Information Nucleus. 2,991 child victims of falls were analyzed, representing an incidence rate of 25.3 per 1000 children. The non-fatal internment rate was 3.9%; one death occurred in an emergency department. The risk of suffering falls was higher among boys, except among children under one year of age. Most frequently injured by falls were the groups of one-year-olds (46 per 1000 children) and two-year-olds (38.4 per 1000 children). The most affected body region was head/neck (55.2%) and superficial trauma was the most frequent kind of injury (46.4%). Falls occurred mainly from bed/cradle, furniture/couch, tricycle/skates, staircase/steps, playground equipment, wall/gate/roof/balcony, hammock, tree and stroller. Findings show a high incidence of falls among children and adolescents and contribute to increasing epidemiological knowledge of such events, thereby assisting in the planning of preventive and control measures.