Chris A Rees1, Michael C Monuteaux2, Jean L Raphael3, Kenneth A Michelson2. 1. Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address: chris.rees@childrens.harvard.edu. 2. Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. 3. Center for Child Health Policy and Advocacy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate emergency department (ED) pediatric mortality by patient neighborhood income. STUDY DESIGN: We calculated the incidence of ED pediatric mortality via a cross-sectional study of children <18 years who died in an ED using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample and US Census from 2012 to 2016. The main exposure was median income for the patient's zip code tabulation area quartile. To determine factors associated with ED mortality, we modeled mortality using negative binomial regression. We used an interaction term between neighborhood income and insurance type to evaluate their relationship to mortality. RESULTS: There were 64 893 ED deaths during the study period (incidence 17.3 per 100 000 person-years). The incidence of ED mortality increased with decreasing neighborhood income: compared with the wealthiest income quartile, the poorest, second, and third quartiles had adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRRs) of 1.79 (95% CI 1.63-1.96), 1.42 (95% CI 1.29-1.55), and 1.23 (95% CI 1.12-1.36), respectively. The incidence of ED mortality was greater among uninsured children (aIRR 4.96, 95% CI 4.55-5.41) and publicly insured children (aIRR 2.69, 95% CI 2.51-2.88) compared with privately insured children. The interaction term showed no consistent relationship between neighborhood income and insurance with ED mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Children from poorer neighborhoods have greater ED mortality rates than children from greater-income neighborhoods. Improved access to health insurance in the US may lead to reduced pediatric mortality, as ED mortality was greatest in uninsured children. Development of interventions to improve upstream determinants of health that contribute to ED mortality are needed.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate emergency department (ED) pediatric mortality by patient neighborhood income. STUDY DESIGN: We calculated the incidence of ED pediatric mortality via a cross-sectional study of children <18 years who died in an ED using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample and US Census from 2012 to 2016. The main exposure was median income for the patient's zip code tabulation area quartile. To determine factors associated with ED mortality, we modeled mortality using negative binomial regression. We used an interaction term between neighborhood income and insurance type to evaluate their relationship to mortality. RESULTS: There were 64 893 ED deaths during the study period (incidence 17.3 per 100 000 person-years). The incidence of ED mortality increased with decreasing neighborhood income: compared with the wealthiest income quartile, the poorest, second, and third quartiles had adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRRs) of 1.79 (95% CI 1.63-1.96), 1.42 (95% CI 1.29-1.55), and 1.23 (95% CI 1.12-1.36), respectively. The incidence of ED mortality was greater among uninsured children (aIRR 4.96, 95% CI 4.55-5.41) and publicly insured children (aIRR 2.69, 95% CI 2.51-2.88) compared with privately insured children. The interaction term showed no consistent relationship between neighborhood income and insurance with ED mortality. CONCLUSIONS:Children from poorer neighborhoods have greater ED mortality rates than children from greater-income neighborhoods. Improved access to health insurance in the US may lead to reduced pediatric mortality, as ED mortality was greatest in uninsured children. Development of interventions to improve upstream determinants of health that contribute to ED mortality are needed.
Authors: Allison Stolte; M Giovanna Merli; Jillian H Hurst; Yaxing Liu; Charles T Wood; Benjamin A Goldstein Journal: Soc Sci Med Date: 2022-01-29 Impact factor: 4.634
Authors: Chris A Rees; Mark I Neuman; Michael C Monuteaux; Kenneth A Michelson; Christopher P Duggan Journal: J Pediatr Date: 2022-03-29 Impact factor: 6.314