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Citation
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Zane DF, Moerbe M, Miyakado-Steger H, Carlton D, Singletary L, Short K, Wright J, Espinoza R, Kurian AK, Hinojosa S, Haile H, Lynch D, Gonzalez F, Barrera S, Rodriguez J, Metzler L, Lozano C. Texas Public Health J. 2019; 71(4): 23-29. |
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Abstract
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Background: Texas has nearly 4 million residents aged 10- 19 years. This report provides a snapshot of injury mortality trends in Texas, stratified by intent, among children and adolescents 10-19 years old. Epidemiologists from the 10 counties with the largest child and adolescent populations in Texas (Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Hidalgo, Travis, Collin, El Paso, Denton, and Fort Bend) collaborated to analyze these trends for Texas as a whole, as well as for their individual counties.
Methods: Using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WONDER, analyses for an 18-year period (1999- 2016) focused on summary unintentional and intentional (homicide and suicide) injury death counts as well as annual (and three-year rolling) death rates which were calculated as the number of deaths per 100,000 age-specific population residing in Texas or the respective county.
Results: Between 1999 and 2016, 11,095 children and adolescents in Texas died from unintentional injuries and 5,936 died from intentional injuries. Between 1999 and 2016, the unintentional injury death rate declined 48% (from 22.7 to 11.9), and the intentional injury death rate increased 2% (from 10.2 to 10.4). Since 2010, suicide rates increased 53% between 2010 and 2016 (from 4.3 to 6.4). Since 2012, homicide rates increased 43% (from 2.8 to 4.0).
Discussion: Over the 18-year period, the state level gap between unintentional injury deaths and intentional injury deaths among children and adolescents has decreased. The report provides a snapshot of injury mortality trends in children and adolescents aged 10-19 for ten counties across Texas. Eight of the ten selected counties saw the number of intentional injury deaths surpass unintentional injury deaths over this time period. In Harris and Dallas Counties, there were consistently more homicides than suicides during 1999-2016, but this gap appears to have narrowed over time; Tarrant County has reported higher suicide rates than homicide rates in recent years. The report contributes to the recognition of injuries as a public health problem in Texas. It provides multiple public health recommendations such as: a) continuing to monitor the injury mortality trends at the state and county levels; b) support county/region Child Fatality Review Teams through participation, data sharing,and providing information on community prevention efforts; and c) continue to promote effective injury prevention interventions. |