@article{ref1,
title="Evaluation of the effect of the child protection act on serious child physical abuse in Taiwan",
journal="Child abuse and neglect",
year="2019",
author="Chou, I-Jun and Kong, Shu-Sing and Chung, Ting-Ting and See, Lai-Chu and Kuo, Chang-Fu and Lin, Jainn-Jim and Wang, Huei-Shyong and Lin, Kuang-Lin and Hung, Po-Cheng",
volume="95",
number="",
pages="e104066-e104066",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the effects of the Child Protection Act on child maltreatment in Taiwan. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: This study estimated the secular trends in the incidence rate of physical abuse of children requiring hospitalization between 1996 and 2013, and the subsequent in-hospital death proportion before and after implementation of the Act in 2003. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The cases were children younger than 12 years old who were hospitalized due to child abuse, shaken-baby syndrome, neglect, or homicide between 1996 and 2013. A comparison group consisted of children requiring hospitalization for other reasons. We used the National Health Insurance database to identify patients. <br><br>METHODS: The Joinpoint Regression Program was used to estimate temporal trends in the standardized incidence rates. <br><br>RESULTS: Between 1996 and 2013, 2050 children required hospitalization for physical abuse. Before 2005, the annual percent change increased by 9.40 [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.98-14.00] per year, and after 2005 the annual percent change was -4.80 (95% CI, -9.53-0.17) per year. Among the 2050 physically abused children requiring hospitalization, 83 (4%) died in hospital. The in-hospital death proportion was 2.62% before 2003 and 4.90% after 2003, and the ratio of these two proportions was 1.43 (95% CI, 0.80-2.58). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The trend in the incidence of hospitalization of children due to physical-abuse-related injuries started to decline 2 years after implementation of the Child Protection Act. However, the proportion of children who died in hospital as a result of physical abuse requiring hospitalization did not change.<br><br>Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0145-2134",
doi="10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104066",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104066"
}