199 - Racial and Ethnic disparities in firearm-related injuries among Floridian children

Racial and Ethnic disparities in firearm-related injuries among Floridian children Aryafar G, Serna C, Arevalo O, Chattopadhyay A (Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Miami, FL and Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL)

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of firearm-related injuries among pediatric patients in Florida by race and ethnicity.

Method: The dataset from the Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration from 2013-2018 was utilized for this analysis. The study included ambulatory ED-visits of Floridian patients (aged ≤ 19 years) who had firearm-related Principal Diagnosis International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification Codes. Patients who reported race as White or Black and Ethnicity as Hispanic or non-Hispanics were included. Patients’ county was categorized into 11 regions defined by Florida Local Health Council Districts. All variables were observed descriptively. Statistical analyses were conducted using SAS 9.4 ®. Firearm-related rates were calculated per 10,000 population, for each region by race and ethnicity and separately by age-groups.

Results: In total, 2,658 gun-violence victims were included in the analyses. The majority of pediatric patients involved in firearm-related injuries were males (87%), Non-Hispanics (95%), and Black (73%). ED-visits were most commonly reported on Sunday (22%), followed by Saturday (17%). Out of the 11 regions, the highest proportion (18%) of the pediatric population was from Miami-Dade and Monroe; 87% of the population were males and 87% were 15-19 years of age. Medicaid was the largest payor (61%) followed by self-payers (21%). The rates of ED-visits for firearm-related injuries per 10,000 population for the 15-19 years age group was 13 for Black and 9 for Non-Hispanics in the above-mentioned regions

Conclusions: The largest prevalence of firearm related injuries occurred among minority children.