title: Disparities in Paediatric Injury Mortality between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Populations in British Columbia, 2001-2009.
abstract: Injury is the leading cause of death among children and youth in Canada. Significant disparities in injury mortality rates have been observed between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations, but little is known about the age-, sex-, and mechanism-specific patterns of injury causing death. This study examines paediatric mortality in British Columbia from 2001 to 2009 using comprehensive vital statistics registry data. We highlight important disparities in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal mortality rates, and use the Preventable Years of Life Lost (PrYLL) metric to identify differences between age groups and the mechanisms of injury causing death. A significantly greater age-adjusted mortality rate was observed among Aboriginal children (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.41, 3.06), and significantly higher rates of death due to assault, suffocation, and fire were detected for specific age groups. Mapped results highlight regional disparities in PrYLL across the province, which may reflect higher Aboriginal populations in rural and remote areas. Crucially, these disparities underscore the need for community-specific injury prevention policies, particularly in regions with high PrYLL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada. oamram@sfu.ca.
authors.forename: Ofer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Amram
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada. bwalker@sfu.ca.
authors.forename: Blake Byron
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada. nadine@sfu.ca.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schuurman
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4, Canada. ipike@cw.bc.ca.|BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, Child and Family Research Institute, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada. ipike@cw.bc.ca.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pike
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 2Y9, Canada. natalka1963@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yanchar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D044467:American Indian or Alaska Native / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001237:Asphyxia; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D046688:Child Mortality; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005390:Fires; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012042:Registries; D014754:Violence; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000401:mortality*
keywords: Aboriginal population; injury mortality; paediatric injury