Citation

Sethi J, Gawaziuk JP, Cristall N, Logsetty S. J. Burn Care Res. 2018; 39(5): 645-651.

Affiliation

Department of Surgery and Children's Health, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Burn Association, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1093/jbcr/iry017

PMID

29668999

Abstract

Burns continue to be a common cause of morbidity around the world, and socioeconomic status has been linked to high burn risk in developed and developing countries. The purpose of this study was to define in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: 1) demographics of adult patients with severe burns; 2) the relationship between household income and burn incidence; 3) specific geographic areas that may benefit from targeted burn prevention strategies. We conducted a retrospective study of adult (>18 years) patients in Winnipeg, with burns severe enough to require at least one day of hospitalization between 2006 to 2016. Area level median household income data at two geographic levels was collected from 2011 Census based on patient postal codes. Of 207 patients that met study criteria, 156 (75.4%) were male. Mean age was 44.5 16.9 years, and the most common cause of burns was fire/flame (52.2%). The analysis of income data revealed that lower area level income groups had a higher incidence of burns, with the lowest income quintile group having 5.4 times higher incidence than highest income quintile group. Spatial analysis software was used to map the incidence rates, and clusters of high risk burns were identified in and around the city centre region. Overall, our study showed an inverse relationship between area level income and burn injury incidence. The identification and mapping of high incidence hotspots will allow policy makers to target groups who will benefit most from burn prevention strategies.

Language: en