Mobile home residence as a risk factor for adverse events among children in a mixed rural-urban community: A case for geospatial analysis

Archna A. Patel, Philip H. Wheeler, Chung Il Wi, Chris Derauf, Euijung Ryu, David Zahrieh, Kara A. Bjur, Young J Juhn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Given the significant health effects, we assessed geospatial patterns of adverse events (AEs), defined as physical or sexual abuse and accidents or poisonings at home, among children in a mixed rural-urban community. Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study of children (<18 years) living in Olmsted County, Minnesota, to assess geographic patterns of AEs between April 2004 and March 2009 using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. We identified hotspots by calculating the relative difference between observed and expected case densities accounting for population characteristics (; hotspot ≥ 0.33) using kernel density methods. A Bayesian geospatial logistic regression model was used to test for association of subject characteristics (including residential features) with AEs, adjusting for age, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES). Results: Of the 30,227 eligible children (<18 years), 974 (3.2%) experienced at least one AE. Of the nine total hotspots identified, five were mobile home communities (MHCs). Among non-Hispanic White children (85% of total children), those living in MHCs had higher AE prevalence compared to those outside MHCs, independent of SES (mean posterior odds ratio: 1.80; 95% credible interval: 1.22-2.54). MHC residency in minority children was not associated with higher prevalence of AEs. Of addresses requiring manual correction, 85.5% belonged to mobile homes. Conclusions: MHC residence is a significant unrecognized risk factor for AEs among non-Hispanic, White children in a mixed rural-urban community. Given plausible outreach difficulty due to address discrepancies, MHC residents might be a geographically underserved population for clinical care and research.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)443-450
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Clinical and Translational Science
Volume4
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2020

Keywords

  • adverse events
  • children
  • geospatial
  • hotspot
  • Mobile home
  • rural
  • socioeconomic status

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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