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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Witold M. Migala, MPH, PhD, Public Health Department, City of Fort Worth, 1800 University, Fort Worth, TX 76107, 817-871-6209, MigalaW@ci.fort-worth.tx.us, Elizabeth Rossmann Beel, MPH, Epidemiology & Assessment, City of Fort Worth Public Health Department, 1800 University Dr., Ste 216, Fort Worth, TX 76107, and Michael J. Kazda, MA, Department of Public Health, City of Fort Worth, 1800 University Drive, Room 218, Fort Worth, TX 76107.
The study examines the impact of multi-disciplinary Child Fatality Review Teams (CFRT) on the overall death rates of children. Statistical comparisons were conducted between those counties with and without CFRT representation to isolate effect. Death rates for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and rates for death due to abuse, marked by CFRT representation, were also compared. The Texas Department of Health’s Epigram database was used to collect death rate data. Death rates by gender, race/ethnicity, age group and cause of death were established for counties with CFRTs initiated in 1992, 1993 and 1994. These were compared to the death rates of counties without CFRT representation through the year 2000. In addition to descriptive statistics, analyses of the data were conducted using t-tests, ARIMA statistics, and calculation of odds ratios and confidence intervals. The results suggest that CFRT representation has a protective effect on children’s death rates and further indicate that counties represented by a CFRT experience greater declines in mortality rates and perhaps identify causes of death with more accuracy than counties without multi-disciplinary team representation. The epidemiological methods described in the study can be used to formulate outcome measures and promote policy development towards the prevention of children's deaths. Additional research supporting impact evaluation of multidisciplinary team representation on the rate of children’s deaths is recommended.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to
Keywords: Children, Mortality
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.