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The impact of fatal pediatric trauma on aboriginal children
Ioana Bratu1, Danielle Lowe, Leah Phillips
1Pediatric General Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G-2B7. bratu@ualberta.ca
Insights
Aboriginal children experienced disproportionately high rates of pediatric trauma mortality compared to non-Aboriginal children. Targeted injury prevention strategies are crucial for Aboriginal communities.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatric Trauma
- Injury Prevention
Background:
- Injuries are a primary cause of death in young individuals.
- Understanding disparities in pediatric trauma mortality is essential for effective prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differences in pediatric trauma mortality between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations.
- To inform the development of targeted injury prevention strategies.
Main Methods:
- Review of all pediatric (0-18 years) traumatic deaths from 1996-2010.
- Data sourced from the regional Medical Examiner's office.
Main Results:
- Aboriginal children, representing 3.3% of the population, accounted for 30.9% of pediatric trauma fatalities.
- Road-related events were the leading cause of death; Aboriginal children were over-represented in pedestrian incidents and often lacked protective devices.
- Suicide was the second leading cause of death for both groups, with nearly half of all suicides being Aboriginal.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric injury prevention must be prioritized for Aboriginal populations.
- Prevention strategies should be tailored specifically to the needs of Aboriginal communities.
Background/Purpose:
Injuries are the leading cause of death in young people. Our aim is to examine the differences between aboriginal and non-aboriginal pediatric trauma mortality as a means to focus on prevention strategies.
Methods:
The records for all traumatic pediatric (0-18 years) deaths between 1996 and 2010 were reviewed from the regional Medical Examiner's office.
Results:
The majority of the total 932 pediatric deaths were the result of non-intentional injuries (640) followed by suicide (195), homicide (65), child abuse (15), and undetermined (17). Despite being only 3.3% of the provincial population, Aboriginals represented 30.9% of pediatric trauma fatalities. Aboriginal fatalities occurred most commonly in the home, with males and females equally affected. Road related events were the main causes of injury overall. Up to three-quarters of Aboriginal children who died in a non-pedestrian road related event did not wear an indicated protective device. Pedestrian deaths were over-represented in Aboriginal children. The second most common cause of death was suicide for both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal children. Almost half of all of the suicides were Aboriginal. Homicide and child abuse had similar proportions for both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal children.
Conclusion:
Pediatric Aboriginal injury prevention should be a priority and tailored for Aboriginal communities.
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