Incidence and Types of Unintentional Injuries among Koreans Based on the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Survey

국민건강영양조사 결과에 의한 한국인의 사고 유형 및 발생빈도

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of unintentional-injury and to identify factors related to the high incidence of unintentional-injury in the community in order to provide useful data for the development of prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing unintentional-injury incidence. Methods: This study utilized data obtained from cross-sectional national surveys conducted for the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Survey targeting 37,769 individuals aged between 0 and 99 years old, which was performed using a face-to-face interview method. Demographic characteristics, unintentional-injury experience, types of injury, and attributes of health behavior were included in the study instruments. Results: About 1.3% of the subjects had experienced unintentional injury that required hospitalization at least once during the past year. Age older than 40 years, male gender, lower education, lower income, and blue collar workers were all significantly and positively associated with increased risk of unintentional-injury. Among the health behavior variables, sleeping less than 6 hours, drunk driving, and binge drinking were significantly associated with unintentional injury, while traffic accidents and falls/slips constituted 80% of all unintentional injuries. Conclusion: Public health efforts to reduce unintentional injuries should target high-risk populations such as males, those with low income and education levels, and binge drinkers.