title: A decade of serious non-fatal assault in New Zealand.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the distribution of, and trends in, the characteristics of serious non-fatal assault injury for the period 2000-2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serious non-fatal hospitalised assault injury for the 2000-2009 period were identified and described by: sociodemographic characteristics, location of incidents, methods used to inflict injury, alcohol involvement, and nature of injury. Trends in assault by age, gender, and method were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Males, 15-24 year olds, Maori, Pacific Islanders, and those from deprived neighbourhoods had markedly elevated assault rates. Assault by bodily force and head injuries predominated with the former being the major category of assault that increased the most over time
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a disturbing level of serious assault in New Zealand and the situation is getting worse. We need to review current efforts to prevent these incidents.
authors.affiliation: Injury Prevention Research Unit, Dept of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. John.langley@otago.ac.nz
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Langley
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gulliver
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012926:Social Control, Formal / Q000379:methods; D012940:Social Problems / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014754:Violence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends