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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: Acad Emerg Med. 2012 May;19(5):541–551. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2012.01356.x

Table 2.

Predictors of hospital admission for children with mild injury seen in California emergency departments, 2005-2009

Characteristics Unadjusted
Odds Ratio (95% CI)
Adjusted
Odds Ratio* (95% CI)
Age
  <1 year 0.53 (0.52, 0.55) 0.69 (0.66, 0.71)
  1-4 years 0.52 (0.50, 0.53) 0.76 (0.74, 0.78)
  5-9 years 0.67 (0.65, 0.68) 0.96 (0.94, 0.99)
  10-14 years 0.56 (0.55, 0.57) 0.75 (0.73, 0.76)
  15-18 years REF -- REF --
Sex
  Male REF -- REF --
  Female 0.90 (0.88, 0.91) 0.80 (0.79, 0.82)
Race/Ethnicity
  White REF -- REF --
  Black/African-American 1.10 (1.07, 1.13) 0.96 (0.93, 0.99)
  Hispanic 1.21 (1.19, 1.23) 1.19 (1.17, 1.22)
  Asian 1.21 (1.17, 1.26) 1.28 (1.23, 1.34)
  Other 1.20 (1.16, 1.24) 1.16 (1.12, 1.21)
Annual Median Household Income^
  <100% Federal Poverty Line (FPL) REF -- REF --
  100-200% FPL 0.86 (0.76, 0.98) 0.93 (0.81, 1.07)
  200-300% FPL 0.83 (0.73, 0.94) 0.93 (0.81, 1.07)
  >300% FPL 0.83 (0.73, 0.94) 1.05 (0.91, 1.20)
Distance: Residence to Nearest Acute
Hospital
  0-5 miles REF -- REF --
  6-10 miles 1.05 (1.02, 1.08) 1.07 (1.04, 1.10)
  >10 miles 1.09 (1.05, 1.13) 1.10 (1.06, 1.15)
Insurance Status
  Private Insurance REF -- REF --
  Public Insurance 1.39 (1.37, 1.41) 1.36 (1.34, 1.39)
  No Insurance 0.84 (0.82, 0.86) 0.63 (0.61, 0.66)
Rural Status
  Urban REF -- REF --
  Rural 0.72 (0.70, 0.74) 0.73 (0.70, 0.75)
Mechanism of Injury
  Fall REF -- REF --
  Cut 1.55 (1.51, 1.59) 0.66 (0.63, 0.68)
  Firearm 16.42 (15.5, 17.3) 4.75 (4.43, 5.09)
  Motor Vehicle Traffic 2.49 (2.43, 2.55) 2.47 (2.41, 2.54)
  Pedal (Bike) 1.43 (1.37, 1.48) 1.36 (1.31, 1.42)
  Pedestrian 2.74 (2.39, 3.13) 2.67 (2.33, 3.06)
  Struck 0.50 (0.48, 0.51) 0.36 (0.35, 0.37)
  Drowning 5.53 (4.36, 6.99) 5.11 (3.98, 6.55)
  Machinery 3.15 (2.71, 3.66) 3.15 (2.70, 3.66)
  Suffocation 18.55 (15.7, 21.9) 3.05 (2.92, 3.19)
  Other Transportation 2.98 (2.86, 3.11) 1.44 (1.15, 1.80)
  Other 0.43 (0.41, 0.45) 0.39 (0.38, 0.41)
Intent of Injury
  Unintentional REF -- REF --
  Intentional 33.99 (32.8, 35.3) 55.19 (52.4, 58.1)
  Assault 2.80 (2.72, 2.88) 4.45 (4.26, 4.64)
  Undetermined 3.79 (3.36, 4.28) 2.01 (1.69, 2.38)

Discharged = 3,042,198 visits; admission = 71,169 visits, total = 3,113,367 visits

REF = reference variable,

*

The adjusted model includes the following variables: age, sex, race/ethnicity, annual median household income, distance from residence to nearest acute hospital, insurance status, rural status, mechanism of injury, and intent of injury. The c-statistic for the logistic regression model was 0.712.

^

Income based on zip code of residence, using the 2004 Federal Poverty Line of $18,850 for a family of four.

Trend analysis for all injuries by year showed later years with decreasing likelihood of admission.