ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The California-Mexico border region is a high-volume trauma area with populations of widely disparate socioeconomic status. This work analyzed differences in demographics and mechanism of injury in children using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), a composite measure of 17 markers of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of pediatric patients evaluated at the regional Level I Pediatric Trauma Center between 2008 and 2018. Collected data included patient demographics and injury characteristics. Patient addresses were correlated to neighborhood disadvantage level using ADI quintiles, with a higher quintile representing greater socioeconomic disadvantage. RESULTS: A total of 9,715 children were identified, of which 4,307 (44%) were Hispanic. Hispanic children were more likely to live in more disadvantaged neighborhoods than non-Hispanic children (p < 0.001). There were markedly different injury mechanisms in neighborhoods with greater socioeconomic disadvantage (higher ADI) compared with those with less socioeconomic disadvantage. Sports-related and nonmotorized vehicular trauma predominated in less disadvantaged neighborhoods, while higher ADI quintiles were strongly associated with pedestrian versus automobile, motorized vehicle accidents/collisions, and nonaccidental injuries (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This analysis represents the first study to characterize pediatric traumatic injury patterns based upon the neighborhood ADI metric. Area Deprivation Index can be a useful resource in identifying disparities in pediatric trauma and children at increased risk for vehicular and abusive injury who may benefit from increased resource allocation, social support, and prevention programs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and epidemiological, Level III.