RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Unintentional injury mortality in children: a priority for middle income countries in the advanced stage of epidemiological transition JF Injury Prevention JO Inj Prev FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd SP 98 OP 103 DO 10.1136/ip.5.2.98 VO 5 IS 2 A1 Plitponkarnpim, Adisak A1 Andersson, Ragnar A1 Jansson, Bjarne A1 Svanström, Leif YR 1999 UL http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/5/2/98.abstract AB Objectives—To examine the relationship between the magnitude, and the relative importance of unintentional child injury mortality with socioeconomic development, and to conceptualise the dynamic changes in injury mortality within the framework of epidemiological transition. Design—Ecological cross sectional study using data on 51 countries. Main outcome measures—The relationship between total mortality rates, unintentional injury mortality rates, and percentage in children 1–14 years of age with gross national product (GNP) per capita. Results—Unintentional injury mortality rates in children were negatively correlated with GNP per capita. However, by categorising the data, we found some areas of non-correlation: in children 5–14 years in low income versus lower middle income countries, and in all age and gender groups in lower high income versus higher high income countries. A high percentage of total deaths due to injuries was clearest in the lower middle income countries in all age and gender groups. Conclusions—The changes in child injury mortality in relation to socioeconomic development could be conceptualised as three stages: a stage of high magnitude; a stage of high priority; and a stage of improvement. Most middle income countries are in the high priority stage where both injury mortality rates and injury percentage of total deaths are high.