The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #71231

Michael Lo, MSPH, Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology, Florida Epidemic Intelligence Service, Collier County Health Department, 3301 Tamiami Trail East, Building H, Room 145, Naples, FL 34112, 239-530-5313, michael_lo@doh.state.fl.us and Mark S. Crowley, MS, Director, Division of Epidemiology and Health Assessment, Collier County Health Department, 3301 Tamiami Trail East, Building H, Room 145, Naples, FL 34112.

Collier County is located on the southwestern Gulf coast of Florida, with a diverse and rapidly growing population heavily concentrated in the affluent Naples area along the coast, and a vast, sparsely populated interior that is predominantly rural and agricultural. This creates a unique demographic profile and a set of public health challenges that often highlight substantial racial and ethnic disparities.

Indicators of unintentional injury deaths in Collier County have consistently been higher than the statewide average for some time. In 2002, an injury prevention task force was convened to address this problem. A descriptive analysis of 307 records of unintentional injury deaths occurring in Collier County between 1998-2000 was conducted. External causes of injury as indicated by ICD-9 E codes and ICD-10 V – Y codes were tabulated with respect to race/ethnicity, gender, and age, and logistic regression performed to model adjusted odds of death from selected causes for various demographic factors.

One striking finding was the disproportionate increase in motor vehicle injury deaths experienced by Hispanic males (110.29 per 100,000 in 2000) compared to white non-Hispanic males (14.01 per 100,000 in 2000). Overall, Hispanics in Collier County were twice as likely to die from motor vehicle injuries between 1998-2000 as non-Hispanic whites (adjusted OR=2.1, 95% CI 1.1-4.2, P=.03).

On the basis of these findings, young Hispanic males will be targeted for a traffic safety education campaign. Possible community partners in this intervention include area Hispanic media outlets, employers of Hispanic males, and other Hispanic community institutions and organizations.

Learning Objectives:

• 
  At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to:
• 2. Describe the unique geographic and demographic profile of Collier County, Florida, and its impact on public health and indicators of unintentional injury deaths.
  4. Discuss the use of hospital discharge and death certificate records as sources of injury morbidity and mortality data.
  6. Recognize the growing disparity in motor vehicle injury deaths and hospitalizations experienced by Hispanic males compared with non-Hispanic white males in Collier County, and identify potential partners within the Hispanic community to address this problem collaboratively through targeted educational and preventive interventions.

Keywords: Hispanic, Injury Prevention

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.