OBJECTIVE: Study the frequency of nonfatal accidents among adolescent students in the city of Belém, Pará, Brazil. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled a probabilistic sample of 2,828 adolescent students, aged 17 and 18 years old, chosen in clusters obtained in multiple stages. Students were in their final year of high school, in public and private schools of the city of Belém, during the year 2000. Data was collected through a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire. Statistical analysis to compare the categorical variables between the two groups used the chi-square calculated by the Epitable of Epi-Info 6.01. RESULTS: The students' mean age was 17.7 years; 60% were female; 82% studied in public schools; 61% lived with both parents; and 23% with only one of their parents. The occurrence of at least one accident was reported by 1,987 (70%) adolescents. The most frequent types were: falls (35%), contact with sharp glass, knife, sword and dagger (30%), contact with heat and hot substances (22%), transport accidents (20%) and bite by dogs and other mammals (18%). Accidents were more frequent among males (78%) than females (65%), and among students of private schools (77%) than those of public schools (69%). One third of the accidents led the adolescents to healthcare services and, of these, 9% were hospitalized. CONCLUSIONS: A high accident rate was seen among adolescent students, confirming the vulnerability of this age group. Better social conditions, here represented by attendance of private schools, did not confer protection against accidents in this population.
accidents; students; adolescent
