Poverty, population density, and the epidemiology of burns in young children from Mexico treated at a U.S. pediatric burn facility

• Published in: Burns 2018-08, Vol.44 (5), p.1269-1278
• Main Authors: Patel, Dipen D., Rosenberg, Marta, Rosenberg, Laura, Foncerrada, Guillermo, Andersen, Clark R., Capek, Karel D., Leal, Jesus, Lee, Jong O., Jimenez, Carlos, Branski, Ludwik, Meyer, Walter J., Herndon, David N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Burn Units; Burns; Burns - epidemiology; Child, Preschool; Epidemiology; Explosions - statistics & numerical data; Female; Fires - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Logistic Models; Male; Mexico; Mexico - epidemiology; Odds Ratio; Population Density; Poverty; Poverty - statistics & numerical data; Prevention; Retrospective Studies; Socioeconomic Factors; United States; Young children
• ISSN: 0305-4179; 1879-1409
• DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2018.02.003

•Identify socioeconomic factors associated with burn injury.•Flame burns associated with poverty percentage and population density.•Increasing poverty led to decrease in odds of a flame burn.•Increasing poverty led to an increase in the odds of scald burns. Children 5 and younger are at risk for sustaining serious burn injuries. The causes of burns vary depending on demographic, cultural and socioeconomic variables. At this pediatric burn center we provided medical care to children from Mexico with severe injuries. The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of demographic distribution and modifiable risk factors of burns in young children to help guide prevention. A retrospective chart review was performed with children 5 and younger from Mexico who were injured from 2000–2013. The medical records of 447 acute patients were reviewed. Frequency counts and percentages were used to identify geographic distribution and calculate incidence of burns. Microsoft Powermap software was used to create a geographical map of Mexico based on types of burns. A binomial logistic regression was used to model the incidence of flame burns as opposed to scald burns in each state with relation to population density and poverty percentage. In all statistical tests, alpha=0.05 for a 95% level of confidence. Burns were primarily caused by flame and scald injuries. Admissions from flame injuries were mainly from explosions of propane tanks and gas lines and house fires. Flame injuries were predominantly from the states of Jalisco, Chihuahua, and Distrito Federal. Scalds were attributed to falling in large containers of hot water or food on the ground, and spills of hot liquids. Scald injuries were largely from the states of Oaxaca, Distrito Federal, and Hidalgo. The odds of a patient having flame burns were significantly associated with poverty percentage (p