Socioeconomic variation in injury in children and older people: a population based study

OBJECTIVES: To compare hospital admission rates for all causes and specific causes of injury in children and the elderly by a measure of economic deprivation. STUDY DESIGN: All emergency admissions for Welsh residents from 1997-99 were located to one of 865 electoral tracts, which were grouped into fifths using a measure of socioeconomic deprivation. Standardised admission rates for all ages and 0-14, 15-75, and 75+ year groups for each quintile were calculated with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: There were 90 935 admissions in a population of 2.84 million yielding a crude admission rate of 1601/100 000/year and a standardised rate of 1493/100 000. The ratio of admissions in deprived and affluent areas varied with category of injury and age group. In general, socioeconomic variations in injury rates were much smaller in older people than in children with the exception of pedestrian related injuries where the rates were similar. The largest variations were for injuries sustained in assaults or self inflicted. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between socioeconomic position and injury varies by cause and age group. This should be considered when developing area based preventive interventions or monitoring the effectiveness of policies to reduce inequalities in injury occurrence.