Estimating the economic impact of interpersonal violence in Mexico in 2021: projecting three hypothetical scenarios for 2030 / Estimación del impacto económico de la violencia interpersonal en México en el 2021: proyección de tres escenarios hipotéticos para el 2030 / Estimativa do impacto econômico da violência interpessoal no México em 2021: projeção de três cenários hipotéticos para 2030

ABSTRACT Objective. To calculate the economic impact of violence across Mexico in 2021 and project costs for 2021-2030. Methods. Incidence data was obtained from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, (SESNSP), National Population Council (CONAPO), National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), and the National Survey of Victimization and Perception of Public Safety (ENVIPE). Our model incorporates incidence estimates of the costs of events associated with violence (e.g., homicides, hospitalizations, rapes, extortions, robbery, etc). Results. The economic impact of crime and violence in Mexico for the year 2021 has been estimated at about $192 billion US dollars, which corresponds to 14.6% of the national GDP. By reducing violence 50% by 2030, we estimate savings of at least US$110 billion dollars. This represents a saving of US$1 376 372 for each company and more than US$66 771 for each Mexican. Conclusion. Violence and homicides have become one of the most pressing public health and economic concerns for their effect on health, development, and economic growth. Due to low cost and high impact, prevention is the most efficient way to respond to crime and violence while also being an essential component of sustainable strategies aimed at improving citizen security.

RESUMEN Objetivo. Calcular el impacto económico de la violencia en el 2021 en todo México y proyectar sus costos para el período 2021-2030. Métodos. Los datos de incidencia se obtuvieron del Secretariado Ejecutivo del Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública (SESNSP), el Consejo Nacional de Población (CONAPO), el Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI), y la Encuesta Nacional de Victimización y Percepción sobre Seguridad Pública (ENVIPE). Nuestro modelo incorpora estimaciones de la incidencia de los costos de los eventos asociados a la violencia (por ejemplo, homicidios, hospitalizaciones, violaciones, extorsiones, robos, etc.) Resultados. Se ha estimado que el impacto económico del delito y la violencia en México para el año 2021 es de alrededor de US$ 192 000 millones de dólares estadounidenses, lo que corresponde al 14,6% del PIB nacional. Estimamos que una reducción del 50% de la violencia para el 2030 supondría un ahorro de al menos US$110 000 millones. Esto representa un ahorro de US$1 376 372 para cada empresa y de más de US$66 771 para cada mexicano. Conclusión. La violencia y los homicidios se han convertido en una de las preocupaciones económicas y de salud pública más apremiantes por su efecto sobre la salud, el desarrollo y el crecimiento económico. Debido a su bajo costo y alto impacto, la prevención es la forma más eficiente de responder al delito y la violencia, al tiempo que es un componente esencial de las estrategias sostenibles dirigidas a mejorar la seguridad ciudadana.

RESUMO Objetivo. Estimar o impacto econômico da violência no México em 2021 e fazer a projeção de custos para o período 2021-2030. Métodos. Os dados de incidência da violência no país foram obtidos da Secretaria Executiva do Sistema Nacional de Segurança Pública (SESNSP), do Conselho Nacional de População (CONAPO), do Instituto Nacional de Estatística e Geografia (INEGI) e da Pesquisa Nacional de Vitimização e Percepção de Segurança Pública (ENVIPE). O modelo incorpora estimativas de incidência de custos de eventos associados à violência (como homicídios, internações hospitalares, estupros, extorsões e roubos). Resultados. O impacto econômico da criminalidade e da violência no México foi estimado em torno de US$192 bilhões em 2021, o que equivale a 14,6% do produto interno bruto (PIB) nacional. Estima-se que reduzir a violência em 50% até 2030 pode resultar em uma economia de US$ 110 bilhões ou mais, o que representa uma redução de gastos de US$1 376 372 para cada empresa e de mais de US$66 771 para cada cidadão do México. Conclusão. A violência e os homicídios são um dos problemas econômicos e de saúde pública mais prementes por suas consequências à saúde, ao desenvolvimento e ao crescimento econômico do país. Devido ao seu baixo custo e alto impacto, a prevenção é a forma mais eficiente de combater a criminalidade e a violência, além de ser um componente essencial de qualquer estratégia sustentável para aumentar a segurança da população.

National Trends and Cost Burden of Surgically Treated Gunshot Wounds in the US.

BACKGROUND: Gun violence remains a major burden on the US healthcare system, with annual cost exceeding $170 billion. Literature on the national trends in cost and survival of gun violence victims requiring operative interventions is lacking. STUDY DESIGN: All adults admitted with a diagnosis of gunshot wound requiring operative intervention were identified using the 2005-2016 National Inpatient Sample. The ICD Injury Severity Score, a validated prediction tool, was used to quantify the extent of traumatic injuries. Survey-weighted methodology was used to provide national estimates. Hospitalizations exceeding the 66th percentile of annual cost were considered as high-cost tertile. Multivariable logistic regressions with stepwise forward selection were used to identify factors associated with mortality and high-cost tertile. RESULTS: During the study period, 262,098 admissions met inclusion criteria with a significant increase in annual frequency and decrease in ICD Injury Severity Scores. A decline in mortality (8.6% to 7.6%; parametric test of trend = 0.03) was accompanied by increasing mean cost ($25,900 to $33,000; nonparametric test of trend < 0.001). After adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics, head and neck (adjusted odds ratio 31.2; 95% CI, 11.0 to 88.4; p < 0.001), vascular operations (adjusted odds ratio 24.5; 95% CI, 19.2 to 31.1; p < 0.001), and gastrointestinal (adjusted odds ratio 27.8; 95% CI, 17.2 to 44.8; p < 0.001) were independently associated with high-cost tertile designation compared with patients who did not undergo these operations. CONCLUSIONS: During the past decade, the increase in gun violence and severity has resulted in higher cost. Operations involving selected surgical treatments incurred higher in-hospital cost. Given the profound economic and social impact of surgically treated gunshot wounds, policy and public health efforts to reduce gun violence are imperative.

What will it cost to prevent violence against women and girls in low- and middle-income countries? Evidence from Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a global problem with profound consequences. Although there is a growing body of evidence on the effectiveness of VAWG prevention interventions, economic data are scarce. We carried out a cross-country study to examine the costs of VAWG prevention interventions in low- and middle-income countries. We collected primary cost data on six different pilot VAWG prevention interventions in six countries: Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia. The interventions varied in their delivery platforms, target populations, settings and theories of change. We adopted a micro-costing methodology. We calculated total costs and a number of unit costs common across interventions (e.g. cost per beneficiary reached). We used the pilot-level cost data to model the expected total costs and unit costs of five interventions scaled up to the national level. Total costs of the pilots varied between ∼US $208 000 in a small group intervention in South Africa to US $2 788 000 in a couples and community-based intervention in Rwanda. Staff costs were the largest cost input across all interventions; consequently, total costs were sensitive to staff time use and salaries. The cost per beneficiary reached in the pilots ranged from ∼US $4 in a community-based intervention in Ghana to US $1324 for one-to-one counselling in Zambia. When scaled up to the national level, total costs ranged from US $32 million in Ghana to US $168 million in Pakistan. Cost per beneficiary reached at scale decreased for all interventions compared to the pilots, except for school-based interventions due to differences in student density per school between the pilot and the national average. The costs of delivering VAWG prevention vary greatly due to differences in the geographical reach, number of intervention components and the complexity of adapting the intervention to the country. Cost-effectiveness analyses are necessary to determine the value for money of interventions.

The economic impact of violence perpetration in severe mental illness: a retrospective, prevalence-based analysis in England and Wales.

BACKGROUND: Calls for increased funding for mental health services require many lines of evidence in support, including estimates of economic impact. One understudied source of cost is violence perpetrated by individuals with severe mental illness. Estimating this economic impact can inform budget planning across several government sectors and emphasise the importance of violence prevention. Therefore, we aimed to provide a comprehensive estimate of the economic costs of violence perpetrated by people with severe mental illness. METHODS: For this retrospective analysis, we used a prevalence-based modelling approach to estimate the annual economic cost of violent incidents committed by people with severe mental illness in England and Wales during 2015-16. The model was based on secondary data, including the association between violence and severe mental illness, illness prevalence, recidivism, absolute numbers of violent incidents in 2015-16, and costs to society per violent crime, by area of spending. Uncertainty was addressed with probabilistic and deterministic sensitivity analyses that tested the effect of underreporting of domestic violence and distributions of crime types in individuals with severe mental illness. OUTCOMES: The estimated annual economic impact of violence perpetrated by people with severe mental illness was £2·5 (95% CI 1·4-4·5) billion in England and Wales in 2015-16, or 5·3% of the total estimated societal cost of violence. The largest contributors to the cost of violent crime perpetrated by individuals with severe mental illness were the cost of physical and emotional harm to victims (£1·4 [95% CI 0·8-2·5] billion), followed by lost productivity of victims (£348.0 [190·0-628·8] million), while the combined cost to the police and criminal justice system was £561·3 (305·9-1009·2) million and the cost to health services was £136·7 [74·3-246·3] million. The additional cost to secure forensic care was estimated to be £487·7 (302·0-709·1) million. INTERPRETATION: The economic impact of violence perpetrated by individuals with severe mental illness is potentially important. Preventing violence, especially through services for individuals with comorbid substance misuse, and reducing recidivism might lead to cost savings at a governmental and individual level, in addition to the clinical and societal benefits. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, and NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley.

Climate change and the opportunity cost of conflict.

A growing empirical literature associates climate anomalies with increased risk of violent conflict. This association has been portrayed as a bellwether of future societal instability as the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are predicted to increase. This paper investigates the theoretical foundation of this claim. A seminal microeconomic model of opportunity costs-a mechanism often thought to drive climate-conflict relationships-is extended by considering realistic changes in the distribution of climate-dependent agricultural income. Results advise caution in using empirical associations between short-run climate anomalies and conflicts to predict the effect of sustained shifts in climate regimes: Although war occurs in bad years, conflict may decrease if agents expect more frequent bad years. Theory suggests a nonmonotonic relation between climate variability and conflict that emerges as agents adapt and adjust their behavior to the new income distribution. We identify 3 measurable statistics of the income distribution that are each unambiguously associated with conflict likelihood. Jointly, these statistics offer a unique signature to distinguish opportunity costs from competing mechanisms that may relate climate anomalies to conflict.

Association between cumulating substances use and cumulating several school, violence and mental health difficulties in early adolescents.

Multiple substances (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other illicit drugs (OID)) have been frequently used in early adolescents maybe due to school, violence and mental-health difficulties. We investigated the associations between substance-use patterns and related difficulties among 1559 middle-school adolescents from north-eastern France (mean age 13.5 ±â€¯1.3). They completed a questionnaire including socioeconomic features, school, violence and mental-health difficulties (school grade repetition, sustained physical/verbal violence, sexual abuse, perpetrated violence, poor social support, depressive symptoms and suicide attempt; cumulated number noted SVMDscore) and the time of their first occurrence during the life course. Data were analyzed using logistic and negative binomial regression models. Alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and OID use affected 35.2, 11.2, 5.6 and 2.8% of the subjects respectively. The risk of using tobacco only, alcohol and tobacco, alcohol plus tobacco and cannabis, or all alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and OID strongly increased with the SVMDscore (socioeconomic features-adjusted odds ratio reaching 85). The risk began in early years in middle schools and then steadily increased, more markedly for elevated SVMDscore. Exposure to several SVMDs may be a transmission vector towards the substance use, starting mostly with alcohol/tobacco, and then shifting to cannabis/OID. These findings help to understand substance-use risk patterns and identify at-risk adolescents.

Trauma-related disorders in a low- to middle-income country: A four-year follow-up of outpatient trauma in Brazil.

Acute stress disorder (ASD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are developed from exposure to traumatic events including war, interpersonal violence and natural disasters. We investigated prevalence and trauma-related information in patients from an outpatient psychiatric unit in Brazil among 2014-2017. A prevalence of ASD/PTSD of 40.8% was found in 179 patients. Female, Caucasian, married, mostly educated during 10-12 years long and employed patients composed a main profile. The presence of any previous trauma in adulthood and childhood were related to ASD/PTSD with longer follow-up time. This study provides evidence of stress-related disorders in a heterogeneous environment.

The relationship between social inequalities, substance use and violence in border and non-border cities of northern Mexico.

We know little about determinants of violence and drug use in Mexican northern cities, places considered to be at high risk for alcohol, drug use, and violence, including crimes and homicides. METHODS: Data are from the US-Mexico Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions (2011-2013), a survey of respondents living in the border metropolitan areas of Nuevo Laredo (n = 828) and Reynosa and Matamoros (n = 821) and in the non-border metropolitan area of Monterrey (n = 811). Associations between violence (interpersonal, direct community [such as physical attack] and indirect community violence [such as heard gunshots]), drug related activities and neighborhood insecurity with alcohol use disorders (AUD), drug misuse (illicit and out of prescription) and area-level disadvantage (ALD) were estimated with multilevel logistic models, controlling for covariates. RESULTS: Substance use was generally related to violence regardless of ALD in these northern cities in Mexico (statistically significant odds ratios range: 0.68-4.24). AUD was associated with 3 forms of violence and also with drug-related activities, but not with neighborhood insecurity. Both illicit drug use and misuse prescription medicines seem to act in unison and were related only to indirect community violence and drug related activities. ALD in these cities was associated with physical violence and neighborhood insecurity. An inverse relationship between illicit drug use and neighborhood insecurity was an unexpected finding. CONCLUSIONS: AUD and drug use were associated with violence and drug involvement regardless of ALD. Neighborhood insecurity depended mainly on ALD and to an inverse relationship with illicit drug use that needs further study.

Experiences of Community Violence Among Adults with Chronic Conditions: Qualitative Findings from Chicago.

BACKGROUND: Community violence is an important social determinant of health in many high-poverty, urban communities. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore and characterize self-described experiences of community violence among adults with chronic health conditions. DESIGN: Qualitative study design was implemented in 2017 using in-depth, semi-structured focus groups and interviews; data were collected from two clinical sites located in geographic epicenters of high violent crime in Chicago. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients, ages 35 years and older, who had at least one chronic condition. APPROACH: Data were analyzed using grounded theory and the constant comparison method. KEY RESULTS: The overall sample (N = 51) was predominantly female (67%) and black non-Hispanic (75%); a large proportion had hypertension (65%), arthritis (55%), obesity (53%), and/or diabetes (45%). The majority reported that a close friend or family member was seriously injured or killed due to community violence (71%); a similar proportion had never discussed their experiences of community violence with a healthcare provider (73%). Several major themes emerged: (1) perceived risk of being targeted, (2) chronic stress and worry, (3) hypervigilance, (4) social breakdown, (5) chronic isolation, (6) constrained choice (loss of freedom), (7) limited access to material resources, and (8) inadequate healthcare responses. CONCLUSIONS: Patients often struggled to balance the challenges imposed by community violence with the demands of living with and managing their chronic conditions. Emergent themes may inform practical targets for addressing community violence as a social determinant of health in vulnerable populations.

Transitions in income generation among marginalized people who use drugs: A qualitative study on recycling and vulnerability to violence.

BACKGROUND: Income is an important determinant of health among people who use drugs (PWUD). However, understanding transitions between differing types of income generation within the formal and informal economy and how they can be shaped by vulnerability to risk and harm remain poorly understood. This study examines how transitions in income-generating activities are shaped by and influence exposure to violence among marginalised PWUD, in Vancouver, Canada's, Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighbourhood. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted with twenty-six individuals engaged in informal and illegal income-generating activities in the DTES. Interview transcripts were analyzed thematically, focusing on relationships between income generation and violence during the study period between January 2014 to April 2015 and drew upon concepts of social violence when interpreting these themes. RESULTS: Participants' engagement in informal and illegal income-generating activities represented a means to negotiate survival given multiple barriers to formal employment and inadequate economic supports. Our findings highlight how informal and illegal income-generating activities in the DTES are characterized by structural, symbolic and everyday violence, while transitions from 'high risk' (e.g., sex work, drug dealing) to perceived 'low risk' (e.g., recycling) activities represent attempts to reduce exposure to violence. However, participants emphasized how informal income generation was nonetheless shaped by structural violence (e.g., gendered hierarchies and police harassment), experienced as everyday violence, and introduced exposure to alternate risks. CONCLUSION: Our findings underscore the critical role of income generation in shaping exposure to violence, highlighting the need for low-threshold employment interventions targeting PWUD as a central component of harm reduction strategies.

[Forensic preventive assertive community treatment : Pilot project to prevent violent crimes in the context of psychiatric disorders]. / Die Forensische Präventionsambulanz : Modellprojekt zur Vermeidung von Gewalttaten im Rahmen psychischer Erkrankungen.

BACKGROUND: Since 2012, a forensic preventive outpatient clinic has been established at Ansbach District Hospital to fill a gap in general psychiatric care for patients with schizophrenia or severe personality disorders and having a high risk for violent behavior. An interdisciplinary team drawing on forensic psychiatric knowledge applies instruments for forensic risk prognosis and treatment or interventions to prevent violent crimes and to protect potential victims. Admissions depend on certain criteria, e.g., increased risk potential for violent crimes against the background of schizophrenia or severe personality disorders. OBJECTIVE: How can a forensic psychiatric preventive treatment be organized, which helps to avoid detention in a forensic commitment and is complementary to general psychiatric treatment structures? Can such a model project reach the target group? MATERIAL AND METHOD: In forensic preventive outpatient care the treatment is based on violence prevention (e.g., psychoeducation, group training, individual treatment on violence risk co-management). Data are collected using general psychiatric and forensic instruments on, e.g., risk of violence (HCR-20), global functional level (GAF), violent behavior (SDAS-9) on a regular basis. The values with respect to these instruments on admission were compared to published key factors from population samples with general and forensic psychiatric patients. RESULTS: A total of 146 patients between the ages of 18 and 79 years have so far been treated. About 4,000,000 EUR could be saved during the duration of the project because of preventing involuntary admission to a forensic hospital apart from preventing violent crimes. In contrast 3,000,000 EUR had to be spent for the new outpatient service. CONCLUSION: Indications for the efficacy of a forensic preventive care for patients with schizophrenia and severe personality disorders with a risk for violence are confirmed. Therefore, an institutionalization and a statewide implementation of forensic preventive care in terms of the forensic preventive out-patient clinic are recommended.

Shift in U.S. payer responsibility for the acute care of violent injuries after the Affordable Care Act: Implications for prevention.

BACKGROUND: Investment in violence prevention programs is hampered by lack of clearly identifiable stakeholders with a financial stake in prevention. We determined the total annual charges for the acute care of injuries from interpersonal violence and the shift in financial responsibility for these charges after the Medicaid expansion from the Affordable Care Act in 2014. METHODS: We analyzed all emergency department (ED) visits from 2009 to 2014 with diagnosis codes for violent injury in the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). We used sample weights to estimate total charges with adjusted generalized linear models to estimate charges for the 15% of ED visits with missing charge data. We then calculated the share attributable by payer and determined the difference in proportion by payer from 2013 to 2014. RESULTS: Between 2009 and 2013, the uninsured accounted for 28.2-31.3% of annual charges for the acute care of violent injury, while Medicaid was responsible for a similar amount (29.0-31.0%). In 2014, there were $10.7 billion in total charges for violent injury. Medicaid assumed the greatest share, 39.8% (95% CI: 38.0-41.5%, $3.5-5.1 billion), while the uninsured accounted for 23.6% (95% CI: 22.2-24.9%, $2.0-3.0 billion), and Medicare accounted for 7.8% (95% CI: 7.7-8.0%, $0.7-1.0 billion). CONCLUSION: After Medicaid expansion, taxpayers are now accountable for nearly half of the $10.7 billion in annual charges for the acute care of violent injury in the U.S. These findings highlight the benefit to state Medicaid programs of preventing interpersonal violence.

Economic Conditions May Contribute to Increased Violence toward Children: A Nationwide Population-Based Analysis of Pediatric Injuries in Taiwanese Emergency Departments.

Childhood injuries are unfortunately common. Analysis procedures may assist professionals who work with children with developing preventive measures for protecting children's wellness. This study explores the causes of pediatric injuries presenting to an emergency department in Taiwan. This nationwide, population-based study was conducted using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan (NHIRD). Patients aged <18 years were identified from approximately one million individuals listed in the NHIRD. We followed up with these patients for nine years and analyzed the causes of injuries requiring presentation to an emergency department. Variables of interest were age, sex, injury mechanisms, and temporal trends. A total of 274,028 children were identified in our study. Between 2001 and 2009, the leading causes of pediatric injuries treated in emergency departments were motor vehicle injuries, falls, and homicide. The overall incidence of injuries declined over the course of the study because of reductions in motor vehicle accidents and falls. The incidence of homicide increased during the study period, particularly between 2007 and 2009. A moderately inverse correlation between homicide rate and economic growth was observed (correlation coefficient: -0.613, p = 0.041). There was a general decline in pediatric injuries between 2001 and 2009. Public policy changes, including motorcycle helmet laws and increases in alcohol taxes, may have contributed to this decline. Unfortunately, the incidence of homicide increased over the course of the study. Ongoing financial crises may have contributed to this increase. Multidisciplinary efforts are required to reduce homicide and reinforce the importance of measures that protect children against violence.

Intentional injuries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990-2015: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study.

OBJECTIVES: We used GBD 2015 findings to measure the burden of intentional injuries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) between 1990 and 2015. METHODS: The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study defines intentional injuries as a combination of self-harm (including suicide), interpersonal violence, collective violence (war), and legal intervention. We estimated number of deaths, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for each type of intentional injuries. RESULTS: In 2015, 28,695 individuals (95% UI: 25,474-37,832) died from self-harm, 35,626 (95% UI: 20,947-41,857) from interpersonal violence, and 143,858 (95% UI: 63,554-223,092) from collective violence and legal interventions. In 2015, collective violence and legal intervention was the fifth-leading cause of DALYs in the EMR and the leading cause in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya; they account for 49.7% of total DALYs in Syria. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings call for increased efforts to stabilize the region and assist in rebuilding the health systems, as well as increasing transparency and employing preventive strategies to reduce self-harm and interpersonal injuries.

Traders, guns, and money: The effects of mass shootings on stock prices of firearm manufacturers in the U.S.

We investigate how mass shootings influence the stock price of firearms manufacturers. While it is well known that mass shootings lead to increased firearms sales, the response from financial markets is unclear. On one hand, given the observed short-term increase in demand, firearm stock prices may rise due to the unexpected financial windfall for the firm. On the other, mass shootings may result in calls for regulation of the industry, leading to divestment of firearms stocks in spite of short-term demand. We examine this tension using a market movement event study in the wake of 93 mass shootings in the U.S. between 2009 and 2013. Findings show that stock prices of firearm manufacturers decline after shootings; each event reducing prices between 22.4 and 49.5 basis points, per day. These losses are exacerbated by the presence of a handgun and the number of victims killed, but not affected by the presence of children or location of the event. Finally, we find that these effects are most prevalent in the period 2009-2010 but disappear in later events, indicating that markets appear to have accepted mass shootings as the "new normal."

A cross-sectional study of emergency care utilization and associated costs of violent-related (assault) injuries in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Violent-related (assault) injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Many violent injury victims seek treatment in the emergency department (ED). Our objectives were to (1) estimate rates of violent-related injuries evaluated in United States EDs, (2) estimate linear trends in ED visits for violent-related injuries from 2000 to 2010, and (3) to determine the associated health care and work-loss costs. METHODS: We examined adults 18 years and older from a nationally representative survey (the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey) of ED visits, from 2000 to 2010. Violent injury was defined using International Classification of Diseases-9th Rev.-Clinical Modification, diagnosis and mechanism of injury codes. We calculated rates of ED visits for violent injuries. Medical and work-loss costs accrued by these injuries were calculated for 2005, inflation-adjusted to 2011 dollars using the WISQARS Cost of Injury Reports. RESULTS: An annual average of 1.4 million adults were treated for violent injuries in EDs from 2000 to 2010, comprising 1.6% (95% confidence interval, 1.5%-1.6%) of all US adult ED visits. Young adults (18-25 years), men, nonwhites, uninsured or publically insured patients, and those residing in high poverty urban areas were at increased risk for ED visits for violent injury. The 1-year, inflation-adjusted medical and work-loss cost of violent-inflicted injuries in adults in the United States was US $49.5 billion. CONCLUSION: Violent injuries account for over one million ED visits annually among adults, with no change in rates over the past decade. Young black men are at especially increased risk for ED visits for violent injuries. Overall, violent-related injuries resulted in substantial financial and societal costs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiological study, level III.

Preventing violence-related injuries in England and Wales: a panel study examining the impact of on-trade and off-trade alcohol prices.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the influence of real on-trade and off-trade alcohol prices and socioeconomic and environmental factors on rates of violence-related emergency department (ED) attendances in England and Wales over an 8-year period. METHODS: Anonymised injury data which included attendance date, age and gender of patients aged over 18 years who reported injury in violence were collected from a structured sample of 100 EDs across England and Wales between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2012. Alcohol prices and socioeconomic measures were obtained from the UK Office for National Statistics. Panel techniques were used to derive a statistical model. RESULTS: Real on-trade (ß=-0.661, p<0.01) and off-trade (ß=-0.277, p<0.05) alcohol prices were negatively related with rates of violence-related ED attendance among the adult population of England and Wales, after accounting for the effects of regional poverty, income inequality, youth spending power and seasonal effects. It is estimated that over 6000 fewer violence-related ED attendances per year in England and Wales would result from a 1% increase in both on-trade and off-trade alcohol prices above inflation. Of the variables studied, changes in regional poverty and income inequality had the greatest effect on violence-related ED attendances in England and Wales. CONCLUSIONS: Small increases in the price of alcohol, above inflation, in both markets, would substantially reduce the number of patients attending EDs for treatment of violence-related injuries in England and Wales. Reforming the current alcohol taxation system may be more effective at reducing violence-related injury than minimum unit pricing.

[Injuries under the influence of alcohol]. / Verletzungen unter Alkoholeinfluss.

BACKGROUND: In Germany, an average of 9.5 L of pure alcohol is consumed per capita per year. Alcohol is known to negatively influence psychomotor abilities. The aim of this study was to evaluate injuries that lead to hospital admission with and without prior intake of alcohol. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Over a 7-month period, all 1317 patients who were admitted to the hospital because of an injury were evaluated with respect to their blood-alcohol level. Patient data of both groups (139 injuries under alcohol influence and 1178 injuries without alcohol influence) were compared with respect to the mechanism and type of injury, patient demographics, and treatment costs. RESULTS: At the time of presentation, 11 % (n = 139) of all admitted patients had detectable blood-alcohol levels of more than 0.1 g/L with an average blood-alcohol level of 2.21 g/L. Female patients had an average of 1.96 g/L and males an average of 2.28 g/L (N.S.). Almost every fifth male patient (109 out of 570, 19 %) had a detectable blood-alcohol level, compared to only 4 % of all admitted female patients. Among the patients admitted between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., 35 % had detectable blood-alcohol levels and among the 20- to 30-year-old patients, 24 % had detectable blood-alcohol levels. The leading mechanisms of injury among intoxicated patients were falls (50 %, n = 70) and physical violence (18 %, n = 25). The latter was recorded significantly (p = 0.01) less among sober patients (0.17 %, n = 2). The most frequent diagnosis was a mild concussion in both intoxicated (60%, n = 84) and sober (34 %, n = 402) patients (p = 0.04). The time to discharge averaged 4.3 days for intoxicated and 5.6 days for sober patients. CONCLUSIONS: Injuries that occur while under the influence of alcohol that lead to hospital admission are particularly frequent in male patients aged between 20 and 30 years. They do not necessarily lead to more severe injuries.