@article{ref1,
title="Neighborhood child opportunity is associated with hospital length of stay following pediatric burn injury",
journal="Burns: journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries",
year="2024",
author="Akinkuotu, Adesola C. and Burkbauer, Laura and Phillips, Michael R. and Gallaher, Jared and Williams, Felicia N. and McLean, Sean E. and Charles, Anthony G.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="INTRODUCTION: Pediatric burns are associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and lead to significant morbidity. The Child Opportunity Index (COI) is a well-validated measure of neighborhood characteristics associated with healthy child development. We sought to evaluate the relationship between COI and outcomes of burn injuries in children. <br><br>METHODS: We performed a single-institution retrospective review of pediatric (<16 years) burn admissions between 2015 and 2019. Based on United States residential zip codes, patients were stratified into national COI quintiles. We performed a multivariate Poisson regression analysis to determine the association between COI and increased length of stay. <br><br>RESULTS: 2095 pediatric burn admissions occurred over the study period. Most children admitted were from very low (n = 644, 33.2 %) and low (n = 566, 29.2 %) COI neighborhoods. The proportion of non-Hispanic Black patients was significantly higher in neighborhoods with very low (44.5 %) compared to others (low:28.8 % vs. moderate:11.9 % vs. high:10.5 % vs. very high:4.3 %) (p < 0.01). Hospital length of stay was significantly longer in patients from very low COI neighborhoods (3.6 ± 4.1 vs. 3.2 ± 4.9 vs. 3.3 ± 4.8 vs. 2.8 ± 3.5 vs. 3.2 ± 8.1) (p = 0.02). On multivariate regression analysis, living in very high COI neighborhoods was associated with significantly decreased hospital length of stay (IRR: 0.51; 95 % CI: 0.45-0.56). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Children from neighborhoods with significant socioeconomic disadvantage, as measured by the Child Opportunity Index, had a significantly higher incidence of burn injuries resulting in hospital admissions and longer hospital length of stay. Public health interventions focused on neighborhood-level drivers of childhood development are needed to decrease the incidence and reduce hospital costs in pediatric burns. TYPE OF STUDY: Retrospective study LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0305-4179",
doi="10.1016/j.burns.2024.03.035",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2024.03.035"
}