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Children who are shot: a 30-year experience
D Laraque1, B Barlow, M Durkin
1Division of Pediatrics, Harlem Hospital Medical Center, New York, NY 10037, USA.
Journal of Pediatric Surgery
|July 1, 1995
Summary
Childhood gunshot injuries in Harlem surged dramatically in the late 1980s, correlating with increased felony drug arrests. Risk factors included dropping out of school and parental loss.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Trauma
- Injury Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Childhood gunshot injuries were rare in Harlem before 1970.
- Admissions for pediatric gunshot injuries at Harlem Hospital peaked in 1988.
- Felony drug arrests in Harlem increased by 163% during the study period.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the pattern of gunshot injuries in children from 1960 to 1993.
- To compare characteristics of injured children with a control group.
- To analyze trends in pediatric gunshot wounds and associated factors.
Main Methods:
- Utilized three data sets: Harlem Hospital Pediatric Trauma Registry (HHPTR), Northern Manhattan Injury Surveillance System (NMISS), and National Pediatric Trauma Registry (NPTR).
- Conducted a case-control study comparing injured adolescents with a control group.
- Analyzed population-based data and hospital registry data.
Main Results:
- A 400% increase in gunshot rates for Central Harlem children (10-16 years) occurred between 1986 and 1987.
- Case fatality for admitted children was 3%, often due to brain injury; most deaths occurred pre-hospitalization.
- Injured Harlem adolescents were more likely to have dropped out of school, lacked a biological parent, experienced parental death, or known a victim of gun violence.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric gunshot injuries in Harlem showed a significant rise, mirroring increases in felony drug arrests.
- Socioeconomic and familial factors are associated with increased risk of gunshot injury in adolescents.
- Findings suggest a need for targeted violence prevention strategies for at-risk youth.