University of Pennsylvania, Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
University of Pennsylvania, Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
J Surg Res. 2023 Mar;283:853-857. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2022.10.011. Epub 2022 Dec 6.
Gun violence continues to escalate in America's urban areas. Peer groups of gun wound victims are potential targets for violence prevention initiatives; identification of this cohort is pivotal to efficient deployment strategies. We hypothesize a specific age at which the incidence of penetrating trauma increases significantly in adolescence, below which should be the focus on future trauma prevention.
Adolescent trauma patients with gunshot wounds seen from July 2011 through June 2021 at a well-established, urban, academic level 1 trauma center were reviewed retrospectively and grouped by age. A linear regression and repeated measured analysis of variance evaluated the change in gunshot wound victims over this time, grouped by age. Demographics were extrapolated, and standard statistical analysis was performed.
A total of 1304 adolescent trauma patients were included. Those aged 15 y and under had an unchanged incidence of gunshot wounds. However, those aged 16 y and more experienced the majority of increased gun violence; 92% were Black and 90% were male with a mortality of 12%. Adolescents aged 15 y and below were 95% Black and 84% male, with a mortality of 18%.
Primary prevention efforts to mitigate gun violence should be focused on adolescents below 16 y of age. Prevention of gun violence should include community outreach efforts directed toward middle school-aged children and younger, hoping to decrease the incidence of injury due to gun violence in older adolescents in the future.
枪支暴力在美国城市地区持续升级。枪伤受害者的同龄人是预防暴力倡议的潜在目标；确定这一群体对于有效部署策略至关重要。我们假设在青少年时期有一个特定的年龄，在此年龄之前，穿透性创伤的发生率会显著增加，未来的创伤预防应该集中在这个年龄以下。
回顾性分析了 2011 年 7 月至 2021 年 6 月期间在一家成熟的城市一级创伤中心就诊的青少年枪伤创伤患者，并按年龄分组。线性回归和重复测量方差分析评估了这段时间内按年龄分组的枪伤受害者的变化。提取了人口统计学数据，并进行了标准的统计分析。
共纳入 1304 名青少年创伤患者。15 岁及以下的患者枪伤发生率保持不变。然而，16 岁及以上的患者经历了大部分枪支暴力的增加；92%是黑人，90%是男性，死亡率为 12%。15 岁及以下的青少年 95%是黑人，84%是男性，死亡率为 18%。
减轻枪支暴力的初级预防工作应重点关注 16 岁以下的青少年。预防枪支暴力应包括针对中学生和更年轻的社区外展工作，希望减少未来年龄较大的青少年因枪支暴力而受伤的发生率。
