Unintentional injuries among children and adolescents in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, newfoundland and labrador, Canada

Abstract

The rate of unintentional injury among children and adolescents in Aboriginal communities is higher than non-Aboriginal communities. Sex (male) and place of residence (Aboriginal communities) were strong predictors of unintentional injury in NL.

Inequalities in unintentional injuries between indigenous and non-indigenous children: a systematic review

“…Of the 39 studies included in the review, 21 were from the USA,2 7 19 24 – 41 8 from Australia,4 8 42 – 47 7 from Canada3 5 48 – 52 and 3 from New Zealand 6 17 53. More than half the studies (n=23) presented mortality data,2 5 7 19 24 26 – 28 30 31 34 – 38 40 41 45 46 48 49 51 52 with the remainder investigating mortality and morbidity (n=8),3 6 8 39 42 47 53 54 morbidity only (n=7)4 17 29 33 43 44 50 and Years of Potential Life Lost (n=1) 25. All studies investigating morbidity outcomes were based on hospital data, the terms, morbidity and hospitalisation, are therefore used interchangeably hereafter.…”

“…Only five studies adjusted for covariates 26 30 39 41 44. Most studies derived an individual's indigenous status from a single source, mainly hospital morbidity or mortality data; however, five studies used an ecological study design where indigenous status was measured at an area level 3 49 – 52…”

“…Indigenous to non-indigenous rate ratios for morbidity and mortality ranged from 1.2 to 2.33 33 50 and 1.8 to 8.2,3 5 19 24 31 38 46 49 51 52 respectively. One study from the USA reported 1.6 and 1.8 times higher rates of years of potential life lost among American Indian and Alaskan Native boys and girls, respectively, compared with white American children25 (figures 2 and 3 and see online supplement 2 table S2).…”

“…One study from the USA reported 1.6 and 1.8 times higher rates of years of potential life lost among American Indian and Alaskan Native boys and girls, respectively, compared with white American children25 (figures 2 and 3 and see online supplement 2 table S2). The greatest differences in morbidity and mortality between indigenous and non-indigenous children were reported by four Canadian studies that used an ecological study design,3 50 – 52 measuring indigenous status at the area, as opposed to the individual, level 3 50 51. Four studies differentiated by age groups,3 19 24 31 (see online supplement table S2), two of these from the USA reported higher mortality inequalities in the youngest age groups (under 1-year-olds and 1–4-year-olds) compared with 1–9 and 10–19-year–olds, respectively 19 24.…”

Drowning in the Social Determinants of Health: Understanding Policy’s Role in High Rates of Drowning in Aboriginal Communities in Canada

“…As injuries are one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in children and adolescents in North America, it is especially important to examine injury rates for this group in Aboriginal populations. Alaghehbandan, Sikdar, MacDonald, Collins, and Rossignol (2010) found that the hospital discharge rate of unintentional injuries, for each age category, was higher among Aboriginal children and youth populations in comparison to non-Aboriginal children and youth populations in Newfoundland and Labrador. Thus, while unintentional injuries are a concern in any population, they are of particular concern in Aboriginal populations.…”