Journal of injury & violence research最新文献

Background: Firearm suicide ranks among the leading causes of death in the U.S. military, with access to personal firearms significantly elevating the risk of firearm-related injuries and death. In this study, we analyzed perceived risks of firearm access and storage among active-duty military service members and embedded civilians with a firearm at home.

Methods: We conducted an anonymous online survey at a single military installation in the United States. Data were analyzed using logistic regression models across four firearm-related risk factors: suicide, others' suicide, interpersonal violence, and unintentional shootings.

Results: Of the 324 participants, 50.5% reported a minimum of one firearm at the home. Respondents with a minimum of one firearm at home (vs. those without) were less likely to agree that there was a risk of suicide for themselves (6.0% vs. 16.6%) or others (7.8% vs. 21.8%), interpersonal violence (16.4% vs. 26.9%), or unintentional shootings (27.9% vs. 42.3%). After adjusting for age, gender, race, ethnicity, and living alone, respondents with a firearm at home (vs. those without) were significantly less likely to agree that firearm access increased the risk of suicide for themselves (odds ratio [OR]: 0.20; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.40; p less than .001) or others (OR 0.19; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.36; p less than .001), interpersonal violence (OR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.43; p less than .001), or unintentional shootings (OR: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.38; p less than .001).

Conclusions: Our findings identify opportunities for strengthening messaging to help service members understand and acknowledge risks surrounding a firearm at home and promote secure firearm storage behaviors.

Background: Physical Violence by Firearms (PVF) is a type of violence which is considered a public health challenge in high-income countries. This study is designed to investigate the trend of incidence in these countries among different ages and gender groups, cluster countries based on PVF incidence rates, and analyze changes during the years 1990 to 2019.

Methods: At first, countries were clustered using the K-means algorithm, with the number of clusters determined by the elbow method. The clustering was based on the Euclidean distance of physical violence by Firearms (PVF) incidence rates, and the data were sourced from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database. The annual changes in the incidence in each cluster were calculated by means of sex and age groups. A heat map was also used to investigate the trend of firearms violence, and Arc map GIS was employed to provide the geographical incidence distribution of firearms violence by gender in 4-time points of 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2019.

Results: The United States, which was placed alone in a cluster, had the highest incidence changes with an increase of 1.44 cases per 100,000 per year. The highest incidence of violence was among American men aged 20-24, which ranged from 150 to 240 cases per 100,000 people between 1990 and 2019.

Conclusions: The study highlights that access to firearms and related laws are key drivers of the increasing trend of PVF in high-income countries. The clustering of countries revealed distinct patterns of PVF incidence, with the USA showing the highest rates. These findings underscore the need for stricter firearm regulations and targeted interventions, particularly for young men aged 20-24, who are most affected by PVF.

Background: Risky driving behavior (RDB), a major contributor to road traffic injuries, is a complex issue with multiple dimensions. This study aimed to explore the experiences and perspectives of drivers who engaged in risky driving behaviors in Shiraz, Iran.

Methods: In 2023, we conducted a qualitative study in Shiraz, Iran, with 35 drivers whose licenses were revoked for traffic violations. Through semi-structured interviews, we examined specific instances of high-risk behaviors, prompting drivers to recall the factors that led to their actions. Additionally, the questions explored the impact of various determinants of risky driving, drawing on participants' personal experiences. The data were analyzed using the conventional content analysis method.

Results: The findings revealed that various factors, ranging from individual to structural, contribute to the formation of RDB. We identified four themes: job conditions, personal traits, socio-cultural factors, and infrastructural factors. Economic pressures and employer-imposed time constraints contributed to risky driving, while impulsivity and thrill-seeking tendencies played a role at the individual level. Social norms, peer influence, and perceptions of arbitrary law enforcement were the sociocultural risk factors, and poor quality roads and inadequate traffic monitoring were infrastructural factors that contributed to reckless driving.

Conclusions: This research underscores the interplay of economic challenges, job-related pressures, social dynamics, and personal characteristics in shaping RDB. Additionally, it sheds light on previously underexplored aspects which have implications for policy, traffic authorities, and driver training programs aimed at enhancing road safety in Iran.

Background: Occupational accidents, injuries, and diseases remain critical health concerns. Designing and implementing checklists for occupational risk prevention are key strategies to mitigate these accidents and their adverse effects. However, due to the diverse nature of occupational hazards, these checklists tend to encompass a substantial number of prevention practices, making their full implementation challenging in terms of financial and human resources. Hence, this study aims to propose a prioritization model for these practices. By identifying and prioritizing the most crucial prevention practices, we can optimize resource allocation and enhance the overall effectiveness of occupational risk reduction.

Methods: To develop a model, we initiated with the utilization of the Delphi method and conducted semi-structured interviews to identify the influencing factors in prioritizing occupational risk prevention practices. Through this process, we identified the type of hazard, the nature of prevention practices, cost considerations, and priority rankings as significant influential factors. Subsequently, we introduced a model designed to prioritize prevention practices in alignment with industry needs and the identified factors. This proposed model encompasses a comprehensive integration of the identified factors.

Results: The proposed model was designed and developed based on 146 prevention practices. The initial version of the software based on the developed model has been implemented and tested by users.

Conclusions: The developed model can be used as a decision support system for managers, offering a roadmap delineating the order of prevention practices according to set priorities. Through such strategic alignment, the model holds the potential to wield a profound impact on enhancing occupational safety and health within organizational contexts.

Background: There has been minimal research on drive-by shootings since the 1990s. It was the purpose of this study to investigate the demographics and injury patterns of drive-by shootings across the entire US using a national database.

Methods: The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research Firearm Injury Surveillance Study 1993-2020 (ICPSR 38574) data for 1993 through 2020 was analyzed using statistical analyses accounting for the stratified and weighted nature of the data.

Results: There were an estimated 63,882 emergency department visits due to drive-by shootings. The drive-by group was younger compared to the no-drive-by group (average age 24.5 years vs. 28.7 years - p less than 10-4). Patients injured in drive-by shootings were more prevalent in medium and large size hospitals. There was a lower percentage of White (17.9% vs. 42.3%) and a higher percentage of Hispanic (30.1% vs. 13.1%) peoples in the drive-by group compared to the no-drive-by group (p = 0.0009). The head/neck (14.3% vs. 3.5%) and lower extremity (35.5% vs. 25.5%) were more commonly injured in the drive-by group compared to the no-drive by group (p = 0.0008). While those in the drive-by group were admitted to the hospital more often (43.9% vs. 32.7%), there was no difference in the percentage of fatalities between the two groups (4.4% drive-by, 4.9% no-drive-by).

Conclusions: This study encompasses both rural and urban areas, all races, and both sexes. These national estimates give health care providers and health facility administrators important demographic information. While both drive-by and no-drive-by shootings increased from 2014 onward, the average annual increase was much greater for the drive-by group (22.7%) compared to the non-drive-by group (8.6%). This data provides helpful information that could be useful when analyzing prevention strategies and firearm legislation and their impact on drive-by shootings.

Background: Drowning is a leading cause of death for children. Fatal and nonfatal drowning incidents often require emergency care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many changes to people's daily activities due to restrictions on public places, such as swimming pools, and to personal precautions taken to avoid exposure to COVID. This study aimed to assess differences in emergency department (ED) visits and patient demographics, scene factors, and drowning severity for children treated for drowning during the COVID pandemic compared with the two prior years at one pediatric hospital in Texas.

Methods: This 4-year retrospective study used data from a hospital-maintained submersion registry of patients treated for drowning to assess differences in drowning ED visits and patient factors during COVID (April 1, 2020 - March 30, 2022) and the two years immediately prior to the COVID pandemic (April 1, 2018 - March 30, 2020).

Results: Of 166 patients treated for drowning, 85 were pre-COVID and 81 were during COVID. Results showed a decrease in total ED visits, but no change in drowning ED visits or the rate of drowning visits per 10,000 ED visits. During the pandemic, children treated for drowning were more likely to have private insurance and less likely to be uninsured. There were no significant differences in other patient or incident factors.

Conclusions: Results suggest patients continued to seek emergency treatment for drowning during the pandemic despite decreases in overall ED usage. Further studies are needed to explore potential shifts in the patient population or the setting where drownings occurred.

Background: Maxillofacial injuries are common in emergency departments of hospitals. However, there is limited regional data on facial fracture patterns in rural India. This study examines the etiology and anatomical distribution of facial fractures among adults attending Malda Medical College and Hospital in eastern India.

Methods: This retrospective study included all adult patients (≥18 years) with radiologically confirmed facial fractures from August 2018 to July 2023. Data were collected on demographics, etiology, and fracture location. Patients with isolated soft tissue injuries or dentoalveolar fractures were excluded. Data analysis was performed using Epi Info 7 software.

Results: In this study, 387 individuals with 557 facial fractures (averaging 1.43 fractures per person) participated. The average age was 37.56 ± 3.80 years, featuring a higher proportion of males (77.8%). Road traffic accidents (RTAs) accounted for 60.5% of the cases, making them the primary factor. Falls came next at 18.6%, followed by violence (12.1%) and sports injuries (8.8%). The most commonly affected areas were the mandible (33.0%), zygomatic complex (28.2%), and nasal bones (11.8%). Mandibular fractures were primarily caused by RTAs in males, while falls were more common among females. The etiology of fractures varies significantly between males and females (p = 0.000).

Conclusions: RTAs were the main reason for facial fractures in eastern India, predominantly affecting young males.

Background: Pre-hospital emergency care is a comprehensive system that responds to the medical needs of injured patients outside of health care centers. The right equipment and facilities are necessary to provide proper and satisfactory services. Due to the increase in pre-hospital emergency services and the high prevalence of emergency events, the present study was conducted to investigate the status of medication and equipment in pre-hospital emergency bases and compare it with national standards.

Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in Iran in 2022-2023. Sampling was done in 46 urban and road bases using the census method. Data collection was done using two checklists. The first checklist, in 17 sections, was based on the latest edition of the instructions for medication and equipment of Iran's pre-hospital emergency organization. The second checklist included the specifications of the base. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics and SPSS25 software.

Results: Of the 46 bases included in the study, 41.3% were urban bases and the rest were road bases. The mean age for building the bases was 13.76±9.47 years (the minimum was one year and the maximum was 45 years). The mean score of the status of medication and equipment in the bases was 224.34 ± 32.05 (minimum score 155 and maximum 322), which was 56.09% of the total score. The highest score was obtained in the medication section of the patient cabin (81.88%) and the lowest score was in the CBRNe bag equipment section (4.55%).

Conclusions: The results showed that the status of the medication and equipment of the pre-hospital emergency bases is far from the standards. This long distance can affect the quality of pre-hospital emergency services. Resolving deficiencies and reaching standards requires more attention.

Background: The National Road Traffic Accident Information System is crucial in enhancing road and traffic safety by providing managers and policymakers with systematic access to and analysis of crash data. Accordingly, the present study aims to review the data collection and exchange processes within these systems and to identify the roles and significance of the participating organizations.

Methods: The current study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Comprehensive literature searches were carried out using Scientific Information Database (SID), Google Scholar, Science Direct, and PubMed with the publication date range restricted to 1995-2024. Screening and selection of the studies retrieved were performed based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality assessment of the studies included in this review was conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP).

Results: Of the 22 studies included, 10 (45%) focused on data collection and recording within the National Road Traffic Accident Information System. Seven studies (31%) examined the role and significance of the organizations involved with these systems, while five studies (22%) focused on the data exchange process. According to the MMAT evaluation criteria, 13 studies (81%) demonstrated a low risk of bias, indicating a high level of quality. In contrast, two studies (12%) showed a moderate risk of bias, and one study (6%) had a high risk of bias, meeting less than 50% of the assessed criteria. Based on the CASP evaluation of the six review studies, four (66%) showed a low risk of bias, while two (33%) exhibited a moderate risk of bias.

Conclusions: The findings of this review highlight the critical importance of prioritizing a leading organization and delineating a standardized minimum crash dataset. This approach has the potential to streamline the data recording process, foster inter-organizational communication and coordination, mitigate the occurrence of contradictory reports, and enhance the overall effectiveness of decision-making.

Background: The impact of COVID-19 on personal and social relationships was considerable. Specifically, social distancing, meant to prevent disease spread, may have adversely impacted personal and social relationships. Suicidal ideation has been found to be more likely due to various health factors, including the isolation that was a result of the pandemic itself. While sex and gender minorities are often studied as a group, it is unknown whether the pandemic adversely affected the relationships and connectedness to others among individuals identifying on the asexual spectrum. Further, how might these effects have increased or decreased their risk of suicidality?

Methods: Data from the 2022 Ace Community Survey was analyzed. Questions specifically pertaining to COVID-19 and the effects it had on relationship desire, as well as connectedness to others were assessed, along with suicidality, among adults identifying on the asexual spectrum.

Results: Those with an increased desire for queerplatonic relationships had a greater risk of both thoughts and attempts of suicide. Asexual individuals who felt less connected to parents, other family, and roommates had a greater risk of suicidal thoughts. However, those who felt more connected with mental health workers and healthcare professionals had an increased risk of thoughts and attempts of suicide. The more educated an asexual spectrum adult, the less likely they were to be suicidal.

Conclusions: Relationships and connectivity among asexual spectrum adults were adversely affected by the pandemic, resulting in increased risk of suicidality. Creating ways to foster relationships among this population are important in advance of the next pandemic to ensure greater health and well-being.