Psychosocial Factors Associated With Lifetime Experience of Serious Unintentional Injury in South Korea

This study determined the prevalence of lifetime unintentional injury among South Korean adults & evaluated the quality of life of victims. Data was obtained from cross-sectional surveys of 24,327 adults. About 11.8% of subjects had experienced an unintentional injury that required hospitalization at least once in their life. Being older, being male, having less education & lower income, working in a blue-collar job, & being enrolled in medical aid programs were associated with increased likelihood of having an unintentional injury. Among the health-related quality-of-life & risk-taking behaviour variables, limitations in daily activities, suicide ideation, & binge drinking were significantly associated with injury experience. (35 refs.)