摘要：Objectives. We sought to determine whether risk of injury differs among children on the basis of the type of disability, and whether the characteristics of injury episodes differ by disability status. Methods. We used nationally representative data from the 1997–2005 National Health Interview Survey to compare medically attended injuries among children aged 0 to 17 years who had and did not have a disability. Characteristics of injury episodes were compared by disability status. We calculated prevalence and risk of injury by type of disability. Results. Children who had a single disability had a significantly higher prevalence of injury than children without a disability (3.8% vs 2.5%; P <.01). Characteristics of injury episodes did not differ significantly by disability status ( P >.05). After we controlled for sociodemographic variables, we found that only children with emotional or behavioral problems had a significantly higher risk of injury compared with children without a disability (prevalence ratio=1.50; 95% confidence interval=1.15, 1.97; P <.01). Conclusions. Children with certain types of disabilities are at a significantly higher risk of injuries than are children without disabilities, but the characteristics of injuries are similar. Disability is a major public health problem that affects approximately 20% of the US population, including children younger than 18 years. 1 – 3 It is estimated that 5.8% to 18.0% of children in the United States have a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional disability. 1 , 4 – 7 In addition, children who have disabilities use many more health care services and, thus, have much higher health care expenses than do their peers who do not have disabilities. 4 Health promotion for children who have disabilities, especially to prevent secondary health conditions, is important. 8 , 9 Recently, injury prevention among children with disabilities has received increased attention. Many researchers have reported that children with disabilities have a higher risk of injury than do children without disabilities. 2 , 5 , 10 – 14 However, previous studies are limited because they examine only 1 type of disability or they do not distinguish between types of disabilities. 10 – 12 , 14 In addition, the few studies that did distinguish between types of disabilities were focused only on 1 setting and on 1 type of injury. 5 , 13 The epidemiology of injury among children with disabilities has not been adequately studied. 11 , 15 – 17 The knowledge base about injury risk among children with disabilities is lacking a study using a large nationally representative dataset that compares the injury risk between children with different types of disabilities while controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. In addition, information about the characteristics of injury episodes among children with and without disabilities is limited. In our recent publication about injuries among children with disabilities, 2 we found that injury risk among children with chronic asthma, vision or hearing problems, mental retardation, and attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was significantly higher than among children without disabilities. However, we included a limited number of types of disabilities and we did not analyze the characteristics of injury episodes. In this study, we added more years from the same nationally representative survey to increase our sample size and facilitate analysis of the injury risk of children who have different types of disabilities. In addition, we compare the characteristics of injury episodes among children who have a single disability and children without a disability. We hypothesized that the risk of injury is higher among children who have a single disability than among children without a disability but that injury risk differs by type of disability. Additionally, we hypothesized that the characteristics of injury episodes are different among children who have a single disability and children without a disability. Our data could contribute to the development of disability-specific injury prevention interventions that take into consideration the unique limitations of children who have different types of disabilities.
