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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Patricia F. Meleedy-Rey, Child Health Data Lab, Children's Memorial Hospital, 2300 Children's Hospital Plaza Box 157, Chicago, IL 60614, 773-880-3455, pmrey@childrensmemorial.org and Jenifer Cartland, PhD, Department of Political Science, Loyola University of Chicago, 6025 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60626.
To describe the prevalence of fatal and non-fatal firearm injuries in children aged 0-17 living in Chicago, data were obtained from the Illinois Department of Public Health Trauma Registry and the Chicago Department of Public Health Death Data Archives for the years 1994 to 1996. Annual rates per 100,000 were estimated for fatalities and non-fatal hospitalizations due to intentional firearm injury.
The fatality rate for Chicago children aged 0-17 is 15.2; by age group, the homicide rates are 1.1 (5-9 years), 10.0 (10-14 years) and 77.9 (15-17 years). The hospitalization rate is 51.8; by age group, the hospitalization rates are 2.9 (0-4 year), 3.2 (5-9 year), 36.7 (10-14 year) and 261.7 (15-17 years).
The ratio of non-fatal to fatal firearm-related injuries in this sample is 3.4; by age group, the ratios are 3.1 (5-9 years), 3.7 (10-14 years) and 3.4 (15 to 17 years).
Of Chicago's 77 community areas, 5 have fatality rates that are at least twice as high as the city average; the highest community-area fatality rate is more than four times as high as the city average.
The results of this study suggest that the risk of both intentional firearm injury and death in Chicago children aged 0-17 vary substantially by community area and increase greatly as children pass into adolescence. These analyses have the potential to provide public health officials and policy makers with efficient, ongoing assessment and surveillance of firearm injury to children by age and community area.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Children and Adolescents, Homicide
Related Web page: www.chdl.org
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Childrens Memorial Hospital Chicago, Illinois
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.