Injuries among Israeli Bedouin children presenting to the primary care clinic

This chapter reviews the incidence and character of minor trauma that presented to family practice clinic and associated demographic variables. Design: A retrospective data analysis was conducted using data collected from the CLICKS computerized medical records of primary care consultations at The Clalit Health System's Shatal Clinic in Beer Sheva, Israel. A systematic sample of every tenth child was taken from the alphabetical listing of all Bedouin children between the ages of zero and fourteen, registered at the clinic (n=156). Results: Of the 156 children sampled, 67 (42.9) had at least one injury and 31 (20.4) children had more than one childhood injury recorded in their medical record. Boys had a higher incidence of two or more childhood injuries compared to female children (23/80 (28.8) vs. 8/72 (11.1), p = .007). Girls had proportionally more injuries in early childhood with mean age at first injury 1.4 years younger for girls (4.0 ± 2.8 vs 5.4 ± 2.5, p=.035). Children of older parents in smaller families had more accidents. No significant association was found between family size or birth order and injury. Conclusions: Unintentional injuries have a huge morbidity and significant mortality world wide. The populations most vulnerable to the burden of injuries are found in the less developed societies. Current research has targeted at western society and the proven strategies for prevention inappropriate for the mechanisms of injury that are specific to the Bedouin culture. Further research is necessary to identify demographic characteristics and behaviors that are correlated with injury in Bedouin children. Chart review was not adequate for the study of demographic and SES factors affecting injury.