Incidence of Injury at School Among Students in Grades 4-6 in Muang Municipality, Suphanburi Province

Abstract

The purpose of this cross-sectional survey study was to explore the incidence rate of injuries among second level students at a Suphanburi municipality schools. Study participants were 360 students in grade 4-6 studying in the school in the area of the Muang Suphanburi municipality selected by multi-stage sampling. Three schools were randomly selected and then the students in grades 4-6 each school was further selected proportional to the total sample sizes using accidental sampling method. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard devi­ation, minimum value, maximum value, and incidence rate. The research finding showed that the overall incidence rate of student injuries was 187.50 per 100 population for academic year 2017 (1/2017). The highest incidence rate of injury was reported in the private school with 270.48 per 100 population, followed by in the school under the Suphanburi municipality (164.00 per 100 population) and in the public school under Education Area District Office 1 (150.73 per 100 population). Sex ratio (male per female) was 1.25:1.00. Most injuries were caused by collision or impact during sport exercises, followed by being hit by or running into school objects in the classrooms. Most injuries occurred during the lunch break, in the classroom, and in the stadium, respectively. The most common symptoms were bruised and bleeding wounds and abrasions. The recommendations obtained from the research results were that the executives or personnel in the education system should develop an effective protection system to prevent students from injuries or accidents, and eliminate harmful areas in order to to be safe and suitable for school students.