Violent injuries among adolescents: Declining morbidity and mortality in an urban population

Author: Cheng, T. L. / Wright, J. L. / Fields, C. B. / Brenner, R. A. / O'Donnell, R. / Schwarz, D. / Scheidt, P. C. / Ne, D. C. Child Adolescent Injury Res
Publication: Annals of Emergency Medicine
Topics: Homicide
Keywords: Adolescent HOMICIDE urban
Bibliographic information +

The authors reviewed hospital, medical examiner and vital records data for youth 10-19 years old living in Washington D.C., from 1989-1998. Firearm injury accounted for 4% of all injuries, 22% of all injury hospitalizations, and 84% of all injury deaths. The decline in intentional injury deaths during this period appears to be due to “a change in the lethality of fighting methods, but no change in unarmed fighting behavior.”