Estimation of Disability Adjusted Life Years in Pediatric Injury Patients at a Zonal Referral Hospital in Northern Tanzania

This study aimed to estimates Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for pediatric injury patients at a zonal referral hospital. This is a retrospective cohort study using pediatric injury registry data, DALYs for pediatric injured patients was calculated by adding the Years of life lost (YLL) and Years lived with disability (YLD). Discounting rate of 3%, age weighting parameter of 0.04 and Constant 0.1658 were considered during analysis. This study included 1000 pediatric injury patients with median age of 7 years, mostly male 639 (63.9%). Road traffic injuries were the leading cause 341 (34.1%), and 65 (6.5%) died, burns caused 27 (41.6%) of deaths. Pediatric injuries resulted in over 4500 DALYs, with road traffic injuries contributing the most (1650 DALYs). This study reveals the high burden of pediatric injuries, with males contributing most DALYs. Road traffic injuries significantly contribute to disabilities, highlighting the need for child-focused interventions.