Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Secondary School Students in Cairo Governorate towards injury prevention.

Background: Injury is the leading cause of death and long term disability and a significant contributor to healthcare costs among children worldwide especially those aged 15 - 19 years. Objectives: To measure the prevalence of injuries among secondary school students in Cairo, Egypt, and to explore the knowledge, attitude and practice of students towards injuries and its prevention. Methodology: Cross-sectional study was conducted on secondary school students in eastern and western part of Cairo; a self-administered questionnaire was used for assessing sustained injuries in previous 12 months and the students’ knowledge, attitude and practice towards injury and its prevention. Results: The overall prevalence of injuries among secondary school students was 68.5%. There was a statistically significant difference between males and female, where knowledge score was higher in males and attitude score was found higher in females. But, there was no difference between them in practice score. Practice score was significantly lower among injured students than those not injured. Conclusion: The study showed high prevalence of injuries among adolescents. There is lack of awareness about injuries stressing the need for development of injury prevention program.