Costs of unintentional injuries among children in an urban slum community in Kampala city,Uganda

Abstract

Unintentional injuries cause deaths, disabilities, productivity and financial losses and disproportionately affect children in low-income settings yet their cost remains under studied. This study determined the household out-of-pocket expenditure and missed school attendance due to unintentional childhood injuries in a Ugandan slum. We used a cross-sectional household survey design. Data were collected on occurrence and associated costs of unintentional injuries during a one-year period from July 2014 to June 2015. A total of 706 (44.7%) children who had suffered from injuries were reported in the one year period. More male children (N?=?415, 58.7%) suffered injuries than females (N?=?291, 41.2%). The average out-of-pocket expenditure on treating an injury was US $24.1 standard deviation (SD)?=?±$62.8] and mean school days lost were 25 days (SD?=?±51.8). Road traffic injuries (RTIs) resulted in higher costs mean difference was US $51.1 (95% CI: $11.4–$90.8)] compared to injuries that, for example, occurred at school. In a Ugandan slum community, unintentional childhood injuries resulted in high out-of-pocket expenditures and missed school attendance. The costs varied widely depending on external causes of the injury. These findings highlight the need to invest in population level injury prevention interventions to reduce injury costs by households.