title: Social disparities in housing and related pediatric injury: a multilevel study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We conducted an ecologic analysis to determine whether housing characteristics mediate the associations between concentration of poverty and pediatric injury and between concentration of racial minorities and pediatric injury and whether the association between housing conditions and pediatric injury is independent of other risks.
  
  
  METHODS
  We created a hierarchical data set by linking individual-level data for pediatric injury with census data. Effect sizes were estimated with a Poisson model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment for owner occupancy and the percentage of housing built before 1950, the association between concentration of poverty and pediatric injury was attenuated. For concentration of racial minorities, only percentage of owner occupancy had some mediating effect. In hierarchical models, housing characteristics remained independent and significant predictors of pediatric injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association between community characteristics and pediatric injury is partially mediated by housing conditions. Risk of pediatric injury associated with housing conditions is independent of other risks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health and the Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Brown Medical School/Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI 02903, USA. edmond_shenassa@brown.edu
authors.forename: Edmond D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Shenassa
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stubbendick
authors.forename: Mary Jean
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017677:Age Distribution; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006798:Housing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010067:Ownership / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology