TRANSPORT-RELATED INJURIES IN CHILDREN IN THE KUMASI METROPOLITAN AREA

Abstract

Road traffic accidents are well known as a major cause of death and disability in the developed world but has been inadequately studied among children in developing nations like Ghana. We reviewed 271 children involved in road traffic accidents in the second largest city in Ghana, Kumasi, who were admitted to hospital from August 1995 to July 1996. 97.5% of the injured children were seen within 24 hours of the accident. 80.8% of the children were injured as pedestrians, 11.8% were involved in motor vehicle crashes and 4.4% were knocked down whilst riding bicycle. Over a third of the vehicles involved in road traffic accidents were taxis; and about 65% of the vehicles involved in road traffic accidents were commercial vehicles. The injuries sustained were primarily to the head (52.8%), lower extremities (41.7%) and upper extremities (14.6%). The mortality rate was 7.4%.