Epidemiology of childhood injury in Korea

Abstract

Injury is the leading cause of mortality in children. The mortality from injury in children in Korea is higher than those in other developed countries in OECD. We analyzed the characteristics of mortality and hospital admission in childhood injury. The leading cause of mortality is traffic accident, followed by drowning and falls. The most common body site of injury leading to mortality is the head. The severity of most injuries is mild and the admission rate is about 15%. The most common causes of hospital admission are traffic accident and falls. Of traffic accidents, pedestrian injury is the most frequent in all children, but occupant injury is more common in children under age 4. The common place of injury is home, and most injuries are preventable for children under 4 years old.