Non fatal injuries among infants: a pilot study

Objective: to determine the incidence, nature and the extent of infant injuries in two suburban and rural communities of pakistan. methods: the cross-sectional study was conducted on a cohort of 310 infants in suburban and rural communities of pakistan in september 2007. the information was collected from primary care-givers based on any injury that had occurred to their infants during the preceding 3 months that required treatment at home or in a hospital. result: the incidence of non-fatal injury for infants up to 1-year-old was found to be 19 injuries per 100 person (child) years of exposure (95% ci 9.90 -27.21). in suburban area, the rate was 26 injuries /100 person (child) years (95 % ci 15.37 -35.71), while in rural area, it was 13 injuries/100 person (child) years of exposure (95 % ci 4.79-18.39). altogether, 13 episodes of injury were reported among infants in both the communities. the male to female infant ratio for injury was 1:2.2. suburban area had more than double injuries compared to the rural area. conclusion: the magnitude of infant injuries was quite significant, especially among suburban and female children. there is a dire need to develop community-based interventions creating awareness on the matter.