INJURY PREVENTION

'I just don't want them to be my patient again': an exploratory mixed-methods study examining provider home safety concerns for adolescents with acquired brain injuries in the US Midwest
Anderson SE, Schroedle S, Stamper T, Lundine JP, Patterson ES, DiGiovine CP, Swearingen S, Wengerd LR and Darragh AR
Adolescents with acquired brain injuries are at risk for additional injuries after hospital discharge. We asked healthcare providers to identify and prioritise urgent hazards in the home setting for this population.
Developing injury prevention programmes for ladies Gaelic football: a Delphi study
Corrigan J, O'Keeffe S, Whyte E and O'Connor S
High injury rates are evident in the community sport of ladies Gaelic football, and the costs associated with these injuries have major implications for players and the governing body. Injury prevention programmes have been designed but are not being widely adopted. This study aimed to elicit the expert opinion of academics and practitioners on the content and format of injury prevention programmes for ladies Gaelic football.
Shaping global strategy, mobilising for local action: reflections from the World Conference on Drowning Prevention 2023
Scarr JP, Koon W and Peden AE
Drowning is a significant cause of preventable mortality and morbidity and has been described as a serious, preventable and neglected public health challenge. Amid building momentum for drowning prevention, most notably with recent United Nations and World Health Assembly Declarations, researchers, policymakers and practitioners convened at the World Conference on Drowning Prevention (WCDP) 2023 under the conference theme of 'shaping a global strategy - mobilizing for local action'. In this special feature, we reflect on the outcomes of the WCDP 2023. Throughout the work presented by more than 750 research, policy and technical experts from over 50 countries, five overarching themes emerged: (1) advancing further contextualisation and interventions, especially in Africa; (2) integrating drowning prevention into climate and disaster agendas; (3) addressing the threats and opportunities in migration; (4) positioning drowning prevention as an issue of social justice; and (5) expanding focus on implementation research. WCDP 2023 delegates co-designed a conference call to action comprising of 16 statements designed to further strengthen global efforts on drowning prevention between now and the WCDP 2025. These actions aim to encourage increased collaboration, create new knowledge, address inequities, amplify voices of those most affected and continue shared commitments to eliminate drowning.
Supporting injury control activities in violence-afflicted countries: one wedding and four funerals?
Salmi LR
Attitudes toward physician-provided gun safety counselling among current and prospective gun owners in the USA
Warner TD
Americans increasingly perceive that homes with guns are safer than those without, and physician counselling about in-home firearm safety and injury risks occurs infrequently, despite encouragement from major medical organisations (eg, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics). Safety counselling that does occur may be limited to gun owners at high risk of injury; however, given the increasing rates of first-time gun ownership in the USA, understanding attitudes toward firearms and firearm safety messaging among persons who may become firearm owners is needed to inform and support continued injury prevention efforts.
Characteristics and predictors of major occupational injuries in Korean farmers
Lee M, Jung W, Choi D, Shin Y, Park J and Youn K
Farmers are exposed to various risks due to the nature of the agricultural environment, and occupational injuries occur consistently. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the characteristics and predictors of major non-fatal occupational injuries among farmers by analysing incidents of non-fatal occupational injuries resulting in at least 1 day off work using the Korean Agricultural Workers' Occupational Disease and Injury Survey data. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the predictors of agricultural occupational injuries, and the results indicated that the risk for non-fatal injuries was higher among older individuals, individuals with pre-existing physical limitations and individuals who use agricultural machinery. The predictors were generally similar for most types of non-fatal injuries. By type of injuries, the risk for trip or slip was higher among women than men. The risk for injuries caused by excessive force or motion was higher among farmers doing rice farming, which is substantially mechanised, than field crop farmers or livestock farmers. The risk of falling from a height was higher among male orchard and greenhouse farmers. The risk of solo farm vehicle crash was higher among male farmers, older farmers, rice farmers, farmers with pre-existing physical limitations and farmers using agricultural machinery. The findings of this study may be useful for developing tailored policies and supportive projects for the Korean farmer population.
Comparing road traffic injuries by types of road users among children and adolescents in South Korea, 2011-2021
Yeon JS, Kong SY, Kim BW, Shin DM, Moon SH, Jeon SM, Park GJ, Chai HS, Kim YM and Kim SC
Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are the leading cause of mortality among children and adolescents. This study aimed to compare clinical characteristics and identify factors associated with severe RTIs based on types of road users among children and adolescents with RTIs.
Provision of basic swimming and water safety skills in low-resource environments: barriers and facilitators of use of WHO practical guidance
Mecrow T, Fortuin Abrahams J, Said M, Baker S, Bonney J, Rahman A and Peden AE
WHO guidance supports implementation of drowning prevention interventions. This study aimed to examine barriers and facilitators of use of WHO guidance on basic swimming and water safety skills in low-resource settings, gathering insights inform codesign of technical resources.
Housing instability and concern about firearm victimisation among Asian Americans
Siddiqui SM and Gao X
Rising costs of living, coupled with housing shortages across the USA, have made housing instability a key issue over the past few years. Alongside this problem has also been a steady rise in violence against (and gun deaths among) Asian Americans. Limited scholarship, however, has examined these issues in the context of this increasingly stigmatised population. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between housing instability and firearm victimisation among Asian Americans. We further assessed how being worried about victimisation may vary by ethnicity.
Social isolation and firearm secure storage in the USA: results from the 2022 BRFSS
Testa A, Semenza D, Jackson DB, Fu K, McKay S, Ganson KT, Nagata JM and Tsai J
Firearm secure storage (ie, storing firearms unloaded and locked) is recommended to reduce unintentional injuries and suicides. However, the relationship between psychological states, such as social isolation, and firearm secure storage practices is under-researched.
Identifying facilitators and barriers to implementing the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System in Miami-Dade County, USA: a qualitative study
Lee E, Scott BA, Hsieh HF, Zimmerman M, Rusch A and Heinze J
Multiple anonymous reporting systems (ARS) have been implemented to prevent school violence and improve school climate. This study examines the facilitators and barriers to implementation and the role and usability of the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System (SS-ARS).
Firearm-related threats before migrating to the USA from Latin America and the Caribbean
Weigend Vargas E, Goldstick J and Vargas L
Every year, thousands of people from Latin America and the Caribbean are migrating to the USA. Policy-makers have argued that US firearms are fuelling violence in these countries and are contributing to migration. The objective of this article is to examine the proportion of immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean arriving at the US border who have previously been threatened with a firearm. This article further explores sociodemographic factors associated with the likelihood of previous firearm-related threats, whether those threats are associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as the reasons behind those threats.
Characterising fire or burn-related fatalities in the USA using the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2003-2020
Bista S, Duffy B and Michaels NL
Intentional fire or burn-related deaths are rare in the USA compared with some countries, but do occur, and our knowledge of their epidemiology is limited. The objective of this study is to epidemiologically describe fire or burn-related deaths resulting from violence, including victim and suspected perpetrator characteristics and incident circumstances.
Development, dissemination and survey evaluation of layered education for healthcare professionals to support implementation of firearm injury and mortality prevention strategies in emergency care settings, New York, USA
Harrison LK, Sathya C, Shekher-Kapoor M, Butkus S and Kapoor S
There is consensus on the need and ability to address firearm injury risk in healthcare settings; however, the lack of education for healthcare professionals hinders the implementation of evidence-based firearm injury and mortality prevention strategies. The objectives of this study are to develop, disseminate and evaluate education for team members to facilitate implementation in emergency departments METHOD: Two-tiered education was developed in partnership with stakeholders and disseminated to the healthcare team, covering evidence-based screening and interventions for firearm access and violence risk. The implementation, development and dissemination strategies followed the framework used for systemwide Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment implementation for substance use. Team members who screened patients for firearm injury risk received screening education and team members meeting with patients who screened positive received intervention education. Participants completed surveys to evaluate the education and learning objectives.
Case-control study of fatal bicycle crashes in peri-urban areas of Delhi
Paturi R, Agrawal S, Bilam S, Bhalla K and Goel R
There is a lack of evidence on interventions to improve the safety of cycling use in low- and middle-income countries. We investigated the impact of road design and traffic characteristics on the fatality risk of bicyclists.
Frequency and mechanism of injury for unintentional paediatric femoral fractures associated with consumer products over a 10-year period in the USA
Peace A, Dandamudi S, Ozdemir S, Ostrander J and Atkinson T
Femoral shaft fractures tend to be rare among children; however, these injuries are the most common major paediatric injuries treated by orthopaedic surgeons. The purpose of this study is to characterise the demographics and mechanisms of femoral injury associated with consumer products in the age group treated with spica casting, children 6 months to 6 years, to identify areas for injury prevention.
Honor ideology and private firearm ownership in US active-duty soldiers
Tucker R, Bock JE, Gerner JL, Albury EA, Osgood J, Daruwala SE, Bozzay ML, Dretsch MN, Trachik B, Anestis M and Bryan CJ
This study investigated whether honor ideology, or a belief that one's reputation must be defended at all costs, is related to firearms ownership in soldiers.
System-level interventions for fall risk assessment, fall prevention and fall injury prevention in long-term care facilities: a scoping review
Wi D, Ustach A, Jung W, Lim S and Thompson HJ
Older adults living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are at high risk for falls. Interventions to prevent falls and fall-related injury in this population may be individual-level or system-focused interventions. However, relatively little attention has been given to research on system-focused interventions. This scoping review seeks to synthesise previous studies on the effects of system-focused interventions for fall prevention in LTCFs.
Rates of fall injuries across three claims databases, 2019
Miller GF, Dunphy C, Haddad YK, Chen J, Alic A, Thomas K and Wolkin AF
In 2021, among all age groups, falls ranked as the third leading cause of unintentional injury death in the USA. Unlike fatal data, which rely on death certificates as the gold standard, there is not a gold standard for non-fatal data. Non-fatal falls data are often based on insurance claims or administrative billing data. The purpose of our study is to compare three claims databases to estimate rates of unintentional fall-related hospitalisations in 2019, the most recent year of available data across the three sources.
Evaluation of a distribution, education and awareness intervention for child passenger safety in Lebanon: a low-income and middle-income country setting
Price M, Shebbo FM, Mroueh S, Brown RL and Al-Hajj S
The Eastern Mediterranean Region suffers disproportionately from paediatric traffic-related injuries. Despite governmental laws, Lebanon-an eastern Mediterranean country-has low child restraint (CR) use prevalence. This study examined the impact of using car seat distribution, and child passenger safety education and awareness intervention to improve child passenger safety knowledge and practices among caregivers.
Risk factors for suicide attempt among adolescents reporting suicidal ideation by sexual and gender minority status: Evidence from the 2022 Minnesota Student Survey
Sexton JF and Clark KA
Suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents, yet most adolescents who report suicidal ideation do not attempt nor die by suicide. To prevent injury and death, it is thus vital to explore factors potentiating the transition from suicidal ideation to suicidal attempt, especially in high-risk groups like sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents. Guided by an "ideation-to-action" framework, we explored risk factors for suicide attempt (ie, "painful and provocative experiences") among adolescents reporting suicidal ideation by SGM status.