Analyses of Child and Youth Self-Poisoning Hospitalizations by Substance and Socioeconomic Status

Abstract

Child and youth self-poisoning is a growing public health issue in many regions of the world, including British Columbia (BC), Canada, where 15–19-year-olds have the highest rates of self-poisoning hospitalizations compared with those of all other ages. The purpose of this study was to identify what substances children and youth commonly used to poison themselves in BC and how socioeconomic status may impact self-poisoning risk. Self-poisoning hospitalization rates among 10–14 and 15–19-year-olds from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2020 were calculated by substance using ICD-10-CA codes X60-X69 and T36-T65, as well as by socioeconomic status using the Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec’s Deprivation Index. Nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics, and antirheumatics were the most common substances involved, with rates of 27.6 and 74.3 per 100,000 population among 10–14 and 15–19-year-olds, respectively, followed by antiepileptic, sedative–hypnotic, antiparkinsonism, and psychotropic drugs, with rates of 20.2 and 68.1 per 100,000 population among 10–14 and 15–19-year-olds, respectively. In terms of socioeconomic status, rates were highest among 10–19-year-olds living in neighbourhoods with the fewest social connections (243.7 per 100,000 population). These findings can inform poisoning prevention strategies and relevant policies, thereby reducing the number of self-poisoning events among children and youth.

Trends in mortality related to unintentional poisoning in the South Asian region from 1990 to 2019: analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study

“…An important factor which may have increased the prevalence of poisoning could be the rapid rise of industrialisation, and consequently an increase in the amount and types of chemical exposures to the population 53–57. Therefore, it is critical not to ignore the public health importance of preventing unintentional poisoning across all age groups in all socioeconomic profiles, specially addressing the health disparity and equity issues surrounding poisoning prevention, as various studies have shown that the lower socioeconomic class and the poor are more prone to unintentional poisoning as compared with the well-off population 45 58–63. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to unintentional poisoning events as people throughout the world have started using a variety of chemical and pharmaceutical substances to prevent and treat COVID-19 infections 64 65.…”

Paediatric hospitalisation related to medications administration errors of non-opioid analgesics, antipyretics and antirheumatics in England and Wales: a longitudinal ecological study

“…Females found to be more engaged in both deliberate self-harm and intentional self-harm behaviours 42. This could be due to multiple factors including social and economic factors that contributed to an increased self-poisoning among females 43. Body composition may affect the metabolism for acetaminophen by the increase of sulfate and the reduced amount of glucuronide, which makes these differences susceptible to toxicity 44.…”

Near-Fatal Self-Harm Among Canadian Adolescents

“… 53 However, self-poisoning accounts for two-thirds of self-harm presentations to the emergency department in some provinces, 61 , 62 and 86% of hospitalizations for self-harm in youth nationally, 8 with indicators that rates are rising. 8 , 63 , 64 A first poisoning episode is a strong predictor of subsequent suicide attempts and suicide. 65 Taken together with the large proportion of suicide attempts by overdose in this study, there may be a role for restricting access to this type of lethal means.…”