Original Article
Work-related Injury among South Texas Middle School Students: Prevalence and Patterns
Abstract
BackgroundWork experiences among early adolescents are largely undocumented. Our purpose was to document the prevalence of work and work-related injury among lower-income Hispanic South Texas middle school students.MethodsAnonymous surveys were conducted in classrooms of sixth- through eighth-grade students, and 3,008 students reported current or recent employment.ResultsThe prevalence of work was 56%; mean weekly work hours were 7.7. Increasing weekly work hours were significantly related to work injury (11–20 hours, odds ratio [OR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–1.9; 21+ hours, OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.8–3.2, compared with 1–10 hours). The odds of injury were highest for agriculture (OR, 4.4; 95% CI, 3.3–6.0), followed by restaurant (OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 2.7–5.4), construction (OR, 3.6; 95% CI, 2.4–5.2), and yard work (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.4–2.2).ConclusionWorking more than 20 hours weekly increased the likelihood of injury among middle school students. Parents and professionals should monitor weekly school-year work hours.This content is limited to qualifying members.
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