Epidemiology of Childhood Trauma among Under 05 Years Age Group in South-East Part of Bangladesh

Background: The prevention of injuries to children remains a high priority for society. Injury is an important cause of childhood mortality in Bangladesh. Here we described the epidemiology, types and trends of injury-related deaths of children <5 years of age in south-east part of Bangladesh, and discussed several policy implications. The ultimate aims of this research study were to find out the incidence rate, urban-rural distribution, mortality rate, pattern, types and trends of childhood injury in south-east portion of Khulna division, Bangladesh.

Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted in Gazi Medical College Hospital, Khulna, Bangladesh in collaboration with private chambers and NGOs, with a total number of 1032 children (age <05 years) with trauma from January 2016 to January 2020. All data was collected and analyzed prospectively. Convenient purposive sampling was the sampling method.

Results: The frequency of childhood trauma found in this study was 5.9% (1032 cases out of total 17,590 children). Trauma was more common in 03-04 years of age group (30.3%). Most of the injuries were occurred in rural area (56%). In 83.1% cases, trauma was due to accidental injury. Sexual abuse was associated in 6.3% children of childhood trauma. Road traffic accident (RTA) was the most common form of injury (27.6%). Peak incidence was observed in between March to May.

Conclusion: The incidence and mortality rates among the under 5 years children were found relatively high in this study. Establishment of local policy, guideline and legislation are the key success to reduce the magnitude of childhood injuries, especially in rural area in Bangladesh.

Keywords: Childhood trauma, incidence, pattern, trends, mortality rate.