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2017 Annual Meeting

September 12–14, 2017

Aurora, Colorado

The links below contained detailed information for the upcoming 2017 Safe States Alliance Annual Meeting, taking place September 12-14, 2017 in Aurora, Colorado.

Please note:

Understanding and Preventing Child and Adolescent Injury Disparities: A Review of the Research

Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at 4:15 PM–5:30 PM MDT
Aurora Ballroom 1
Learning Objectives

In this session, participants will:

  1. Understand the injury disparities that affect children and adolescents ages 0-24;
  2. Identify the specific groups (gender, race/ethnicity, disability, geography, sexual orientation, health literacy, socioeconomic status) within the population of children and adolescents ages 0-24 that are at increased risk of experiencing particular kinds of injury disparities;
  3. Learn about approaches for reducing injury disparities.
Statement of Purpose

Disparities in child and adolescent injury are found across several distinct and socially disadvantaged populations.  For example, Black and Hispanic youth have an increased risk of homicide and assault; LGBT youth have elevated risks of suicidality, non-suicidal self-injury, bullying, and assault; and children with disabilities face a heightened risk of violence and unintentional injury.  Understanding injury disparities is an important and necessary step in reducing and eliminating disparities. The purpose of this presentation is to describe injury disparities that occur among children and adolescents ages 0-24, explain approaches for addressing disparities, and highlight areas for further research.

Methods/Approach

The Children’s Safety Network conducted a review of research studies on child and adolescent injury disparities by group. References were found through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s publications and online using research databases. Search terms included injury disparities, child/adolescent/youth/teenager (and other terms for young people), injury prevention, gender, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, health literacy, literacy, LGBTQ (and all associated terms), and geography. Only peer-reviewed, full-text available articles were cited. Additional sources were cited from organizations on topics where research studies could not be located.

Results

Disparities exist between and among demographic groups. Injury risk increases for children who belong to one or more disparity groups. Strategies for preventing disparities include creating culturally responsive programs that integrate community perspectives and needs. The interrelated nature of injury disparities requires a multifaceted approach, such as that provided by the socioecological model in which individual, relational, community, and societal factors are considered to be essential components of prevention.

Conclusions & Significance to the Field

We must understand the connections among different injury disparities and explore whether and to what degree membership in multiple at-risk groups increases the risk of experiencing disparities, as well as the severity of those disparities. We suggest that injury disparities do not exist in isolation. Risk factors contributing to one disparity may also contribute to other disparities. Although much research has been done to understand injury disparities and the populations they affect, more research is needed to comprehend the ways in which different injury disparities interact and to design and implement cross-cutting strategies for prevention.

Presenters

Maria Katradis, Ph.D., Children's Safety Network
Biography

Maria Katradis, Ph.D. is a Training and Technical Assistance Associate II for the Children’s Safety Network at Education Development Center (EDC). She is currently writing about child injury disparities, child safety funding, and a number of other topics pertinent to the Child Safety Collaborative Innovation and Improvement Network and the National Coordinated Child Safety Initiative.

Jennifer Allison, PhD, Children's Safety Network
Biography

Jennifer Allison, Ph.D. is the Director of the Children’s Safety Network and the Outreach Director for the Injury Control Research Center for Suicide Prevention at Education Development Center (EDC). Dr. Allison coordinates training and technical assistance initiatives and designs and facilitates webinars and other online learning opportunities. She also oversees the development of websites and publications and has written numerous fact sheets on injury and violence prevention topics.

Co-Authors

Primary Contact

Dr. Maria Katradis, Ph.D., CSN
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