Abstract
Although injury-related deaths have been documented among children and adult populations, insufficient attention has been directed towards injury-related infant deaths. The objective of this retrospective study was to investigate maternal and infant characteristics associated with injury-related infant deaths in West Virginia. Birth and infant mortality data for 2010–2014 were sourced from the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, Charleston. Relative risk was calculated using log-binomial regression utilizing generalized estimating equations. Maternal characteristics associated with injury-related infant mortality in West Virginia were race/ethnicity ( = 7.48, p = .03), and smoking during pregnancy (, p < .00). Risk of a Black Non-Hispanic infant suffering an injury-related death was 4.0 (95% CL 1.7, 9.3) times that of infants of other races/ethnicities. Risk of an infant dying from an injury-related cause, if the mother smoked during pregnancy, was 2.9 (95% CL 1.6, 5.0) times the risk of such a death if maternal smoking status during pregnancy is unknown or no smoking, controlling for race/ethnicity. This study provides important information to public health stakeholders at both the state and local levels in designing interventions for partial reduction or prevention of injury-related infant mortality in West Virginia.
Highlights
Unintentional injury deaths and homicides impact children across all ages in the United States (U.S).[1,2,3] the unintentional injury-related death rate among children 19 years or less declined by 29% from 2000 to 2009 nationally, the corresponding unintentional injuryrelated infant mortality rate rose approximately 20%.[4]
This study evaluated maternal and infant characteristics associated with injury-related infant death in West Virginia
Black infants in West Virginia have higher odds of experiencing injury-related mortality compared to infants of other races/ethnicities
Summary
Unintentional injury deaths and homicides impact children across all ages in the United States (U.S).[1,2,3] the unintentional injury-related death rate among children 19 years or less declined by 29% from 2000 to 2009 nationally, the corresponding unintentional injuryrelated infant mortality rate rose approximately 20%.[4].
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