Incidence and Characteristics of Low-Speed Vehicle Run-Over Events in Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Children and Other Australian Children Aged 0 to 14 Years in Queensland: An 11-Year (1999–2009) Retrospective Analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe main objective of this study is to describe incidence rates (IRs) of low-speed vehicle run-over events among children aged 0 to 14 years in Queensland, Australia, from 1999 to 2009, by Indigenous Australian status. Data on low-speed vehicle run-over events among children aged 0 to 14 years in Queensland were obtained for 11 calendar years (1999–2009) from all relevant data sources using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes, text description, word searches, and medical notes and were manually linked. Crude fatal and nonfatal IRs were calculated for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children; trends over time were analyzed by chi-square test for trend. Relative risks (RRs) were also calculated. Data on demographics, health service usage/outcomes, incident characteristics, and injury characteristics were obtained. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were performed in order to investigate whether these characteristics varied with Indigenous status. IRs were higher among Indigenous Australian children aged 0 to 14 years (21.76/100,000/annum) than other Australian children (14.09), for every year of the 11-year study. The age group most at risk for low-speed vehicle run-over events were young children aged 0 to 4 years, where incidence was 2.13 times greater among Indigenous Australian children (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.67–2.71). There were no significant changes in incidence of low-speed vehicle run-overs among Indigenous Australian children for 0 to 4, 5 to 9, and 10 to 14 years or overall (0–14 years), during the 11-year study period. Over three quarters (n = 107) of low-speed vehicle run-over events involving Indigenous Australian children occurred outside of major cities (43.7% in other Australian children). These data indicate that Indigenous Australian children are at increased risk of low-speed vehicle run-over events and that characteristics of these events may vary as a function of Indigenous status. These results highlight that culturally specific interventions to reduce low-speed vehicle run-over events are required.