 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Mary A. Harkins-Schwarz, MPH1, Jennifer Dickson, BA1, M. Patricia West, MSSW2, and Paul J. Fink, MD3. (1) Research and Evaluation Department, Philadelphia Health Management Corporation (PHMC), 260 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, 215-985-2572, maryh@phmc.org, (2) Public Heatlh Consultation, 2134 Spring St., Philadelphia, PA 19103, (3) Consultant, Health & Mental Health, 191 Presidential Boulevard, Suite C-132, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Nationally, between 1995 and 1998 there were 25.1 injury-related deaths per 100,000 youth ages 0-19. In Philadelphia, between 1995 and 1999 there were 40 injury deaths per 100,000 youth (N=789). Although many injury deaths are preventable, in order to implement effective prevention strategies there needs to be a better understanding of youth and the risk factors that precipitate their deaths. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the patterns of injury-related deaths among Philadelphia youth. Data for this presentation are based on the Philadelphia Interdisciplinary Youth Fatality Review Team (PIYFRT)’s review of all deaths that occurred between 1995 and 1999 (N=2461) among Philadelphia youth. The Team conducts case reviews and collects demographics, decedent and family history, including involvement with human services and schools, and the circumstances of the death. PIYFRT also determines strategies to prevent similar circumstances from resulting in a fatality. Data are entered into a database maintained by PHMC. PIYFRT data indicate that firearms are responsible for 40.7% of the injury-related deaths among Philadelphia youth, followed by motor vehicle injuries (17.5%), and fire (10.5%). More than half of these fatal youth injuries are intentional (45.5% homicide and 7.5% suicide) and 42% are unintentional. Risk factors include easy access to firearms, lack of seat belt use, and absence of fire alarms. The findings have implications for improving the safety of Philadelphia’s youth, in particular, reducing access to firearms, supporting education efforts for youth and their families and improving communication between agencies serving youth.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Mortality, Children and Adolescents
Related Web page: www.phmc.org/research/currentprojects.html
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.