Racial Differences in Hospitalizations Due to Injuries in South Dakota Children and Adolescents

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Pediatric Trauma

Background:

• Pediatric injury remains a significant public health concern, particularly in rural settings.
• Understanding racial disparities in injury hospitalization is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze racial differences and temporal trends in pediatric injury hospitalization rates within a rural state.
• To identify specific injury types and demographic factors contributing to disparities.

Main Methods:

• Utilized South Dakota hospital inpatient discharge data from 2009-2014.
• Calculated race-, age-, and sex-specific annual injury hospitalization rates for residents aged 0-19 years.
• Assessed trends in rates over the study period.

Main Results:

• American Indian (AI) children had substantially higher injury hospitalization rates (532/100,000) compared to white children (213/100,000).
• Rates increased for both racial groups between 2009 and 2014.
• Suicide attempts were the leading cause of injury hospitalizations in adolescents, with AI adolescents showing significantly higher rates.
• Homicide-related injury hospitalizations were markedly higher among AI adolescents (15-19 years).
• Injury hospitalization rates among females surpassed males, driven by increased suicide attempts.

Conclusions:

• AI children in South Dakota face disproportionately higher rates of hospitalization for unintentional injuries, suicide attempts, and homicide-related injuries.
• The gap in injury hospitalization rates between AI and white children is widening.
• A concerning increase in suicide-related injuries, particularly among females, is driving recent trends.