Epidemiology of childhood burn injuries in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Purpose The objective of this study was to identify the epidemiologic characteristics of childhood burn injuries in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Methods A population-based study was carried out on children aged 0–16 years who were hospitalized due to burn injuries in Newfoundland and Labrador between April 1995 and March 2001. Hospital and mortality data were obtained from the provincial hospital separation database and the Mortality Surveillance System, respectively. The Newfoundland and Labrador population was considered as a whole and as two separate geographic areas. Results A total of 157 hospital separations due to burn injuries were identified during the study period. The incidence rate of burns requiring hospitalization in the province was 22.6 per 100,000 person-years (P-Y). The rates for males and females were 28.1 and 16.8 per 100,000 P-Y, respectively (P < 0.000001). Infants (0–1 year) had the highest rate of burn injury (89.6 per 100,000 P-Y) followed by children aged 2–4 years (26.2 per 100,000 P-Y) (P < 0.000001). Labrador, a region with high Aboriginal population (51.5 per 100,000 P-Y), had a higher rate of burn injury compared to Newfoundland (20.5 per 100,000 P-Y) (P = 0.00001). Median age of patients with burns was 2 years in Newfoundland and 9 years in Labrador, respectively (P < 0.01). Overall, scald burn (52.2%) was the most frequent type of burn followed by fire (32.5%). In Newfoundland, scald burn was the most common type of burn (56.4%), while in Labrador fire was the most frequent type (66.7%). Overall mortality rate due to burns was 0.9 per 100,000 P-Y. Conclusion Age (infants) and gender (male) are potential risk factors for burn injury in Newfoundland and Labrador. Study results indicate a difference in the epidemiologic pattern of burn injury between Newfoundland and Labrador. It is recommended that preventive programs be directed towards high risk groups to reduce the incidence of burns.