Pediatric firearm injuries: Racial disparities and predictors of healthcare outcomes

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatric Trauma
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Firearm injuries represent a significant public health crisis in the U.S., particularly among children.
• Existing data lacks comprehensive understanding of racial disparities in pediatric firearm injury outcomes.
• Predictors of mortality, hospitalization costs, and length of stay require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze racial disparities in pediatric firearm injuries.
• To assess hospitalization costs, length of stay (LOS), and inpatient mortality.
• To identify differences in injury intent and survival rates across racial groups.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the national Kids' Inpatient Databases (KID) from 2006-2012.
• Included pediatric hospitalizations (age ≤18) with firearm injury diagnoses.
• Employed regression models to examine mortality, costs, and LOS, analyzing injury intent and weapon type by race.

Main Results:

• Over 15,000 pediatric hospitalizations for firearm injuries were analyzed.
• Assault accounted for the majority (60%) of injuries, with intent varying significantly by race (p < 0.001).
• Black and Hispanic children had lower odds of inpatient mortality compared to White children (OR 0.41 and 0.47, respectively).

Conclusions:

• Circumstances and survival rates of pediatric firearm injuries differ notably by race.
• White children are more prone to unintentional injuries and suicides.
• Black and Hispanic children are disproportionately affected by inflicted firearm injuries.