TY - JOUR PY - 2016// TI - The impact of socio-economic deprivation on burn injury: A nine-year retrospective study of 6441 patients JO - Burns: journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries A1 - Marsden, N. J. A1 - Battle, C. E. A1 - Combellack, E. J. A1 - Sabra, A. A1 - Morris, K. A1 - Dickson, W. A. A1 - Whitaker, I. S. A1 - Evans, Phillip Adrian SP - 446 EP - 452 VL - 42 IS - 2 N2 - INTRODUCTION: Low socio-economic status is thought to be associated with increased burn risk, however the significance and generalisability across different populations and cultures has been questioned.

METHODS: A nine-year retrospective study of burn presentations to a large teaching hospital (2005-2014) was performed to investigate the association between socio-economic status and burns. Demographic and injury data was collected via the trust 'Information portal'. The Welsh Index of Multiple: Deprivation 2011 was used to score for socio-economic status. Chi-squared test and Odds Ratios were calculated and statistical significance defined as p<0.05 throughout.

RESULTS: 6441 burns were identified, with 755 (11.7%) admitted. Overall incidence rates were the highest published in the UK (0.35/1000/year) with sub group analysis showing the highest rates in under fives and males. Significant relationships between both age and burn mechanism and gender and burn mechanism (p=0.0005) were identified. Scald (67.1%) was the most common mechanism with the upper limb (48%) most commonly burned. Chi square analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between socio-economic deprivation, age and burn incidence (p≤0.0005), with a disproportionately high number of burns in patients under the age of 16 in the most deprived quintile (OR 1.23; 95% CI 1.06-1.44).

CONCLUSION: This study specifically highlights patients under the age of 16 living in poorer socio-economic areas as the most at risk of suffering burns receiving hospital attention. This study demonstrates burns as a significant public health issue, and the results should aid in designing specific burn prevention strategies to target high-risk groups.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0305-4179 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2015.08.019 ID - ref1 ER -