Open AccessHospital admissions of Indigenous and non‐Indigenous Australians due to interpersonal violence, July 1999 to June 2004
Author(s) -
Berry Jesia G.,
Harrison James E.,
Ryan Philip
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2009.00378.x
Subject(s) - indigenous , interpersonal violence , medicine , poison control , interpersonal communication , injury prevention , residence , suicide prevention , psychological intervention , demography , occupational safety and health , incidence (geometry) , domestic violence , psychiatry , medical emergency , psychology , social psychology , sociology , physics , pathology , optics , biology , ecology
Objective:To compare the incidence of injury‐related hospitalisations and the injury profiles for interpersonal violence, in the Indigenous and non‐Indigenous populations of Australia.Method:Descriptive analysis of the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD), using data for the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland for the period 1 July 1999 to 30 June 2004.Results:Indigenous people were twice as likely as non‐Indigenous people to be hospitalised for injury (age‐standardised rate ratio [SRR] 2.26, 95% CI 2.24–2.29), and had a 17‐fold greater hospitalisation rate for interpersonal violence (SRR, 16.9, 95% CI 16.6–17.3). Indigenous males and females were most commonly injured by a family member or intimate partner and females constituted 54% of Indigenous cases. Most non‐Indigenous cases were males (82%), most commonly injured by stranger(s). Head injuries by bodily force were the most frequent injuries. Age‐standardised hospitalisation rates of interpersonal violence increased with remoteness of usual residence for Indigenous people and, less so, for others.Conclusion:The largest differential between Indigenous and non‐Indigenous injury‐related hospitalisations was for interpersonal violence, particularly for women. About half the excess morbidity from interpersonal violence among Indigenous people is due to factors associated with remote living.Implications:Culturally appropriate interventions that tackle a wide range of social and economic issues are needed to mitigate Indigenous interpersonal violence.