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Updated: May 25, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Using US data to estimate the incidence of serious physical abuse in children
John M Leventhal1, Kimberly D Martin, Julie R Gaither
1Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8064, USA. john.leventhal@yale.edu
Insights
Serious physical abuse causes significant childhood injuries, with an incidence of 6.2 per 100,000 children. Infants, especially those on Medicaid, face the highest risk of these severe, often fatal, abusive injuries.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Limited epidemiological data exists on serious injuries from child physical abuse.
- Understanding the incidence and characteristics of these injuries is crucial for public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the incidence of hospitalizations due to serious physical abuse in children under 18 in the US.
- To analyze demographic factors, costs, and outcomes associated with abusive injuries in hospitalized children.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the 2006 Kids' Inpatient Database for hospitalization data.
- Defined physical abuse using specific International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes.
- Calculated incidence rates based on weighted cases and population data.
Main Results:
- Estimated incidence of serious physical abuse hospitalizations at 6.2 per 100,000 children (<18 years).
- Incidence was highest in infants (<1 year), particularly those covered by Medicaid (133.1 per 100,000).
- A total of 300 child deaths were recorded due to physical abuse in the analyzed hospitalizations.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first national US data on serious physical abuse injuries in hospitalized children.
- The findings can serve as a baseline for tracking trends and evaluating prevention programs.
- Highlights the critical need for targeted interventions for high-risk populations, especially infants.
Background:
There are limited data on the epidemiology of serious injuries due to physical abuse of children.
Methods:
We used the 2006 Kids' Inpatient Database to estimate the incidence of hospitalizations due to serious physical abuse among children <18 years of age. Abuse was defined by using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes for injuries (800-959) and for physical abuse (995.50, 995.54, 995.55, or 995.59), selected assault codes (E960-966, 968), or child battering (E967). We examined demographic characteristics, mean costs, and length of stay in 3 groups of hospitalized children: abusive injuries, nonabusive injuries, and all other reasons for hospitalization. Incidence was calculated using the weighted number of cases of physical abuse and the number of children at risk based on 2006 intercensal data.
Results:
The weighted number of cases due to abuse was 4569; the incidence was 6.2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.5-6.9) per 100 000 children <18 years of age. The incidence was highest in children <1 year of age (58.2 per 100 000; 95% CI: 51.0-65.3) and even higher in infants covered by Medicaid (133.1 per 100 000; 95% CI: 115.2-151.0 [or 1 in 752 infants]). Overall, there were 300 children who died in the hospital due to physical abuse.
Conclusions:
This is the first study to provide national US data on the occurrence of serious injuries due to physical abuse in hospitalized children. Data from the 2006 Kids' Inpatient Database on hospitalizations due to serious physical abuse can be used to track trends over time and the effects of prevention programs on serious physical abuse.
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