title: Is the injury gap closing between the Aboriginal and general populations of British Columbia?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence from various jurisdictions has shown higher rates of injury for Aboriginal compared with non-Aboriginal populations. This study provides an overview of trends in hospitalization injury rates between the Aboriginal and total populations of one Canadian province, British Columbia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospital discharge records from 1986 through 2010 were obtained from linked health care databases maintained by Population Data BC. Crude rates and standardized relative risks of hospitalization due to injury among Aboriginal people, relative to the total population of British Columbia, were calculated. Changes over time among males and females were compared for various types and causes of injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Throughout more than two decades, standardized risks of hospitalization for injury decreased among the Aboriginal and total populations of British Columbia. Larger decreases among the Aboriginal population than among the total population suggest that the gaps are closing. Downward trends in rates were found for most injury categories, and for males and females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings indicate narrowing of the gap in injury rates between the total population of British Columbia and the province's Aboriginal population.
authors.affiliation: the University of British Columbia and the Child and Family Research Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia.
authors.forename: M Anne
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brussoni
authors.forename: Christopher E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Lalonde
mesh_terms: D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000208:ethnology*
keywords: Aboriginal; databases; health services; hospitalization; indigeneous; injury; medical record linkage