TRAUMATIC INJURIES AMONG UNIVERSITY-STUDENTS IN FINLAND

A questionnaire dealing with the incidence of traumatic injuries was s ent to 1,000 randomly selected 3rd-year university students in Finland ; 617 students responded adequately. Of those, 177 (28.7%) reported a combined total of 281 accidents and 323 separate injuries requiring me dical or dental treatment during the preceding 3 years. The accidents resulted in 1,061 days of official sick leave, and one third of the ac cidents caused permanent sequelae to the affected students. Almost hal f of all accidents had been sustained during sports activities and 14% in traffic. Only 0.5% of the accidents were classified as having occu rred in the university environment or during activities directly relat ed to studies. Alcohol was involved in 10.1% of the accidents; 45% of the injuries affected the lower extremities, and 22% the upper extremi ties. Most of the injuries were related to the students' active lifest yles and keen interest in sports.