Injury inequalities: Morbidity and mortality of 0-17 year olds in Israel

Background. To determine whether there are inequalities in the incidence of fatal and non-fatal unintentional injuries among Jewish and Arab children in Israel. Methods. A nationwide random sample of injured children aged 0-17 attending emergency rooms (ER) during one year was selected (n = 11 058). The number of cases was weighted to 365 days and rates and odds ratios (OR) were calculated. Logistic regression was performed to study the OR of hospitalization in the total population and among Jews and Arabs controlling for independent variables. Results. The incidence of ER admissions among the Jews was 752.6/10 000 (95% CI: 738.1-767.1), 1.5 times higher than among the Arabs (492.8/10 000, 95% CI: 472.8-512.8). However, the rate of hospitalization was 1.1 times higher among Arabs than among Jews and the mortality rate was 3.2 times higher among Arabs than among Jews. Conclusions. The differences in injury rates for fatal and non-fatal injuries may be due to differences in the severity of injuries or in the use of services by the two populations. A study is underway to elucidate this point.