Trends and patterns of injuries among children under five in Mongolia: A retrospective analysis of national injury surveillance data between 2018 and 2022.

Objective: This retrospective study aimed to analyse the pattern and trend of fatal and non-fatal injuries among children under five in Mongolia from 2018 to 2022, using hospital-based national injury surveillance data to inform targeted public health interventions.

Methods: Data from 101,731 injury cases were analysed from the National Trauma and Orthopaedic Research Center's surveillance system. Injury incidence and mortality rates were calculated based on demographic characteristics and geographic distributions.

Results: From 2018 to 2022, 101,731 children under five sustained injuries in Mongolia, with most occurring at home (78.9%) and in Ulaanbaatar (87.6%). Boys accounted for 55.7%. Ulaanbaatar had the highest non-fatal injury incidence rate (1003 per 100,000), primarily from falls (45.8%), burns (16.5%) and mechanical forces. Non-fatal injuries increased annually in Ulaanbaatar, especially among boys (6.6%) and girls (9.9%). Children aged 1-4 years and boys were at higher risk, with injuries more frequent in summer and at home. Fatal injuries (n = 715) were mostly due to suffocation (34.7%), traffic (20.7%) and drowning (13.7%). Ulaanbaatar saw a significant decrease in fatality rates (14.9% annually for boys), while traffic-related deaths rose in girls in provinces (18.6%). Mortality rates were higher among infants aged 0-11 months.

Conclusion: There is an increase in non-fatal injuries among children under 5 years of age in Mongolia, particularly in Ulaanbaatar, despite a declining trend in fatal injury rates. Injury rates also vary significantly across rural provinces, highlighting the need for geographically tailored policy interventions.