Unintentional injuries among Chinese children with different types and severity of disability

PurposeLittle research has been done in China to study injury in individuals with disability. We investigated the impact of type and severity of disability on injury among children with disability in Hubei Province of China.MethodsA sample of 1201 children with disability were matched with 1201 healthy children on gender, age, and neighborhood. Disability type and severity were determined using the Chinese national standards. Caregivers were interviewed face-to-face about nonfatal unintentional injuries suffered by the child in the past 12 months before the interview. Univariate χ2 test and logistic regression models were used to investigate association between disability type/severity and nonfatal unintentional injuries.ResultsInjury rate among children with disability was significantly higher than that among children without disability (10.2% vs. 4.4%; P < .001). Children with multiple disabilities had the highest risk of injury after controlling for confounding variables (odds ratio, 4.54; 95% confidence interval, 2.82-7.30; P < .001). The magnitude of the association between disability and injury varied by type and severity of disability.ConclusionsThe magnitude of the association between the presence or absence of disability in children and their risk of injury was large and significant, regardless of the type or severity of the children's disabilities.