Using probabilistic linkage and Geographic Information Systems to describe burn injury risk in Utah

More than 1 million burns occur in the United States annually. Burns range from minor injuries not requiring medical treatment to serious injuries resulting in decreased quality of life and even death. A number of demographic and socioeconomic risk factors have been associated with burns, including male gender, extremes of age, ethnicity other than White, living in rural areas, less education, poverty, and substandard housing. The purpose of this dissertation project was to describe burns in Utah and to identify characteristics associated with risk. There were three specific aims.Aim 1 utilized probabilistic linkage (PL) of five state databases to identify and describe burn injuries occurring in Utah from 1997 to 2001. PL identified 24,934 burns. The majority of injuries occurred to males. Scalds were the most common burn, but etiology varied by age group. The majority of injuries was of nonextensive severity and received only emergency department treatment. Burns requiring hospital or burn center admission were more severe.Aim 2 built upon the dataset generated in Aim 1 to describe the burn rate for Utah residents and to identify demographic subgroups and geographic areas at increased risk. There were 23,722 Utah residents burned over the 5-year study period for an annual rate of injury of 212.5 per 100,000 population. Groups with higher burn risk were males and individuals aged 0 to 4 and 15 to 44 years. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping identified seven counties with increased risk. These counties were all rural or frontier.Aim 3 utilized GIS mapping and Census 2000 data to identify demographic and socioeconomic characteristics associated with burn risk. High-risk counties tended to have higher percentages of American Indian populations, individuals living below poverty, and households with substandard housing. There were lower percentages of high school graduates or employed individuals in high-risk counties.This dissertation project described burns occurring in Utah, identified populations at increased risk for injury, and elucidated population characteristics associated with risk. The results can be used as a foundation for further studies of burn risk in Utah and can also be used to develop burn prevention programs targeted toward populations at increased risk.