The aim of this study was to assess estimates of the prevalence and social correlates of unintentional injury among
adolescents in the Caribbean. Cross-sectional national data from the Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS) included
11571 students from seven Caribbean countries chosen by a two-stage cluster sample design to represent all students in
grades 6-10 in each country. The percentage of adolescents reporting one or more serious injuries within the past 12 months
was 54.3% for all countries, ranging from 43.1% in Dominica to 59.5% in Jamaica. By major activity of all survey participants,
“fall” (11.4%) was the leading external cause of injury, followed by fighting (5.0%), “something fell on me or hit me”(4.9%) and
vehicle accident (4.3%). In multivariate regression analysis it was found that being male, having hunger (as an indicator for low
socioeconomic status), substance use (smoking and alcohol use), psychological distress (anxiety or worried and suicide
ideation) and truancy were found to be associated with annual injury prevalence rates. Several risk factors were identified
which can be utilized in reaching these young people for change strategies in injury prevention programmes.