Seasonal variations in injury rates in children: evidence from a 10-year study in the Veneto Region, Italy

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the long term trend of pediatric injuries in Veneto Region (North-East of Italy) over 10 years, evaluating if seasonality in injury hospitalisations exists. Regional data on hospital admissions during the period 2000–2009 were analysed. Injury was defined as any condition identified by the International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes 800–999, excluding late effects from injury (ICD-9-CM codes 905–909), and complications of surgical and medical care, not classified elsewhere (ICD-9-CM code 995-999) in the first diagnostic field. Cyclic trends in seasonality of injuries were tested with Nam test. Thirty-five thousand seven hundred and fifty-one hospitalisations due to an injury have been recorded. Significant seasonal variation in hospitalisations for injuries was observed, with a summer to winter ratio ranging from 1.8 for minor injuries to 2.0 for severe injuries (p <0.001). The observed pattern of increased admission in the summer months should guide resource planning and implementation of preventive strategies.

Keywords:

• pediatric injuries
• seasonality
• long term trends