Abstract
Objectives: This study described epidemiologic patterns of recreational injuries among school aged children in the US and assessed the relation of these patterns to socioeconomic status.
Methods: Combined data from the 1997–98 National Health Interview Surveys for 38 458 children aged 6–17 years regarding non-fatal recreational injury episodes that received medical attention, reported by a household adult, were analysed. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between recreational injury and socioeconomic status while controlling for confounding factors.
Results: The annualized rate of recreational injury was 91.2 episodes per 1000 children, with an increased risk associated with a higher family income status or being non-Hispanic white. For children from not poor families, most injury episodes occurred in sport facilities, whereas for children from poor and near poor families, most occurred outside the home.
Conclusion: Recreational injury is a significant health problem for school aged children in the US. Non-Hispanic white children and children from affluent families are at increased risk of recreational injury.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (128.3 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Abramson J. H., Gofin R., Habib J., Pridan H., Gofin J. Indicators of social class. A comparative appraisal of measures for use in epidemiological studies. Soc Sci Med. 1982;16(20):1739–1746. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(82)90267-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Anderson R., Dearwater S. R., Olsen T., Aaron D. J., Kriska A. M., LaPorte R. E. The role of socioeconomic status and injury morbidity risk in adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1994 Mar;148(3):245–249. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1994.02170030015003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Cubbin C., LeClere F. B., Smith G. S. Socioeconomic status and the occurrence of fatal and nonfatal injury in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2000 Jan;90(1):70–77. doi: 10.2105/ajph.90.1.70. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Feinstein J. S. The relationship between socioeconomic status and health: a review of the literature. Milbank Q. 1993;71(2):279–322. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kaplan G. A., Pamuk E. R., Lynch J. W., Cohen R. D., Balfour J. L. Inequality in income and mortality in the United States: analysis of mortality and potential pathways. BMJ. 1996 Apr 20;312(7037):999–1003. doi: 10.1136/bmj.312.7037.999. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kennedy B. P., Kawachi I., Prothrow-Stith D. Income distribution and mortality: cross sectional ecological study of the Robin Hood index in the United States. BMJ. 1996 Apr 20;312(7037):1004–1007. doi: 10.1136/bmj.312.7037.1004. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kogan M. D., Overpeck M. D., Fingerhut L. A. Medically attended nonfatal injuries among preschool-age children: national estimates. Am J Prev Med. 1995 Mar-Apr;11(2):99–104. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Liberatos P., Link B. G., Kelsey J. L. The measurement of social class in epidemiology. Epidemiol Rev. 1988;10:87–121. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.epirev.a036030. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Link B. G., Phelan J. Social conditions as fundamental causes of disease. J Health Soc Behav. 1995;Spec No:80–94. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mare R. D. Socioeconomic effects on child mortality in the United States. Am J Public Health. 1982 Jun;72(6):539–547. doi: 10.2105/ajph.72.6.539. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Overpeck M. D., Kotch J. B. The effect of US children's access to care on medical attention for injuries. Am J Public Health. 1995 Mar;85(3):402–404. doi: 10.2105/ajph.85.3.402. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rivara F. P., Bergman A. B., LoGerfo J. P., Weiss N. S. Epidemiology of childhood injuries. II. Sex differences in injury rates. Am J Dis Child. 1982 Jun;136(6):502–506. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1982.03970420026004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Scheidt P. C., Harel Y., Trumble A. C., Jones D. H., Overpeck M. D., Bijur P. E. The epidemiology of nonfatal injuries among US children and youth. Am J Public Health. 1995 Jul;85(7):932–938. doi: 10.2105/ajph.85.7.932. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Singh G. K., Yu S. M. Trends and differentials in adolescent and young adult mortality in the United States, 1950 through 1993. Am J Public Health. 1996 Apr;86(4):560–564. doi: 10.2105/ajph.86.4.560. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stewart-Brown S., Peters T. J., Golding J., Bijur P. Case definition in childhood accident studies: a vital factor in determining results. Int J Epidemiol. 1986 Sep;15(3):352–359. doi: 10.1093/ije/15.3.352. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Towner E. M., Jarvis S. N., Walsh S. S., Aynsley-Green A. Measuring exposure to injury risk in schoolchildren aged 11-14. BMJ. 1994 Feb 12;308(6926):449–452. doi: 10.1136/bmj.308.6926.449. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wagener D. K., Winn D. W. Injuries in working populations: black-white differences. Am J Public Health. 1991 Nov;81(11):1408–1414. doi: 10.2105/ajph.81.11.1408. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Walsh S. S., Jarvis S. N. Measuring the frequency of "severe" accidental injury in childhood. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1992 Feb;46(1):26–32. doi: 10.1136/jech.46.1.26. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Williams J. M., Currie C. E., Wright P., Elton R. A., Beattie T. F. Socioeconomic status and adolescent injuries. Soc Sci Med. 1997 Jun;44(12):1881–1891. doi: 10.1016/s0277-9536(96)00297-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]