Socioeconomic determinants of childhood injury

Abstract

Accidents are the major causes of lifetime incapacity and premature deaths of children ages 1-14. While the country is winning in its fight against communicable diseases by showing a decreasing rate of mortality due to pneumonia, diarrhea, nutritional deficiency, measles, and tuberculosis (tb) of all forms in the past 30 years, the rate of mortality due to accidents has been constant and, at the turn of the century, increasing. This study aims to help in improving preventive actions against unintentional child injuries by identifying the socioeconomic risk factors for injury. Socioeconomic data from the records of trauma patients in the up Philippine General Hospital who applied for medical social service in the year 2006 were analysed using logistic regression. Results of the regression showed that male children living with only one adult and who have a younger, less educated mother are more at risk of getting injured. Paternal characteristics turned out to have an opposite sign than that of maternal characteristics, implying that older and more educated fathers offer less preventive efforts for child injury.

JEL classification: J13, J18, C25