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Airgun injuries in New Zealand, 1979-92
J D Langley1, R N Norton, J C Alsop
1Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Objectives:
To describe the epidemiology of serious airgun injury in New Zealand.
Methods:
Cases were selected from the New Zealand Health Information Service's hospital inpatient morbidity data files for the period 1979 to 1992 inclusive.
Results:
There were 718 airgun related injuries resulting in 1.56 injuries/100,000 population/year. Males and 10-14 year olds had higher than average rates of injury. The majority of the incidents were unintentional. There has been a marked decline in injury rates since 1989.
Conclusions:
Airgun injuries, while not as serious as powder firearm injuries, account for a significant personal and societal burden. The results suggest that strategies aimed at controlling these injuries, especially those pertaining to children, are in need of review.