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. 2023 Aug;89(8):3429-3432.
doi: 10.1177/00031348231157905. Epub 2023 Mar 14.

Trends in Adolescent Firearm-Related Injury: A Time Series Analysis

Courtney H Meyer  1   2   3 , Soroosh Noorbakhsh  1   3 , Katie Jackson  1 , Rachel Holstein  1 , Richard Sola Jr  2   4 , Deepika Koganti  1   2   3 , John Bliton  5 , Alexis Smith  6 , Kiesha Fraser Doh  1   6 , Sofia Chaudhary  1   6 , Jason D Sciarretta  1   2 , Randi N Smith  1   2   3
Affiliations

Trends in Adolescent Firearm-Related Injury: A Time Series Analysis

Courtney H Meyer et al. Am Surg. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Firearm-related injury (FRI) became the leading cause of death among children/adolescents in 2019.

Purpose: This study sought to determine changes over time in the population of adolescents affected by FRI in Atlanta, Georgia, such that high risk cohorts could be identified.

Research design: City-wide retrospective cohort review.

Study sample: Adolescent victims (age 11-21 years of age) of FRI, defined by ICD9/10 codes, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Data analysis: Descriptive, multivariate and time series analysis.

Results: There were 1,453 adolescent FRI victims in this time period, predominantly Black (86%) and male (86.6%). Unintentional injury was higher among ages 11-14 years (43.1%) compared to 15-17 years (10.2%) and 18-21 years (9.3%) (P < .01). FRI affecting females increased at a rate of 8.1 injuries/year (P < .01), and unintentional injuries increased at by 7.6/year (P < .01). Mortality declined from 16% in 2016 to 7.7% in 2021.

Conclusion: Our data provides evidence for firearm policy reform. Interventions should target prevention of intentional injury among AQ4 females and seek to reverse the trend in unintentional injuries.

Keywords: acute care surgery; trauma; trauma acute care.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
City-wide patterns of firearm-related injury incidence in adolescent females in Atlanta, GA from 2016 to 2021. *Monthly counts are displayed. Univariable linear regression coefficients with P values are shown.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
City-wide adolescent firearm-related injury in adolescents in Atlanta, GA from 2016 to 2021 stratified by intentionality. *Univariable linear regression coefficients shown for unintentional injury with P values.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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