Accidents and injuries among adolescents from one secondary school

Background. Accidents and injuries play an important role of in the morbidity and mortality among adolescents. Objectives. The aim of the study was to describe the frequency, circumstances and locations of accidents and injuries among adolescents from one secondary school. Adolescents' awareness of accident and injury prevention was tested as well as their abilities to give somebody first aid. Material and methods. 427 adolescents (230 girls and 197 boys) aged between 16 and 19 were involved in the study. The self-fulfilled survey was prepared for the study and consisted of 22 questions concerning circumstances of the accidents and general knowledge about their prevention. The medical documentation kept at school and the register of students' accidents were also analyzed. Results. 38% of pupils had accidents over last year. Accidents and injuries are most common among boys (55%). Localization of injuries were described as: lower limbs - 54%, upper limbs 36% and head (6%). A sports field is the most common place where the accidents and injuries occur - 37%. 78% of responders believed they are well trained to provide the first aid to the injured persons. There are 147 (34%) students willing to participate in additional first aid training. Conclusions. The safety and supervision procedures at schools should be increased. It is also essential to provide more educational activities concerning prevention of injuries and accidents for both schoolchildren and teachers.