Unintentional Injury among Thai Children and Adolescents in 2010
Wiboon Weraarchakul MD*, Wilawan Weraarchakul DDS**, Arunee Jetsrisuparb MD*, Kaewjai Thepsuthammarat PhD***, Sumitr Sutra MD*
Affiliation : * Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine,Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand ** Department of Community Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand *** Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Background : Unintentional injury has been identified as a public health problem in Thailand as it is the leading cause of death
among both children and adolescents.
Objective : To explore the number of admissions by unintentional injury and cause(s) among Thai children and adolescents in
2010.
Material and Method: Data on the number of admissions by unintentional injury in the fiscal year, 2010, were derived from
hospitals nationwide as well as the three health insurance schemes. Data on Thai children and adolescents (0-18 years) was
collected between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010. The coding for underlying cause(s) of unintentional injuries and
death were done using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition.
Results : A total of 118,323 unintentional injuries were reported. The majority of patients were male and falls were the major
cause of unintentional injuries (27,139 admissions; 22.94%) followed by motorcycle injuries (20,499 admissions; 17.32%).
Accidental drowning and submersion was the major cause of death in the present study, followed by lightning strikes and
accidental threats to breathing (i.e., choking and suffocation).
Conclusion : The current study revealed that falls were the major cause of unintentional injury and accidental drowning and
submersion the major cause of death.
Keywords : Unintentional injury, Children and adolescents
