Study finds pediatric firearm injuries differ in urban and rural settings

By Jennifer Cruz

Researchers recently determined a number of demographics affect pediatric firearm injuries, including whether the child lives in an urban or rural setting.
An abstract of the study, “Hospitalizations for Firearm Injuries in Children and Adolescents in the US: Rural Versus Urban,” was presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition in Chicago Monday. The study is the first of its kind in that it explores urban versus rural settings as it relates to firearm injuries in children.
“Compared with other causes of death in the United States, there is a relative scarcity of research on understanding the epidemiology of firearm injuries, and this is particularly true for the pediatric population,” said lead author Bradley Herrin, MD, a pediatrician at the Yale School of Medicine. “This study helps to build our understanding of the problem by providing more detailed data on hospitalizations for firearm injuries in different pediatric age groups in both urban and rural communities.”
The study, which was published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, found that while teens in urban settings are more likely to suffer firearm injuries as the result of assault or other crimes, younger children in rural settings are more likely to suffer accidental gunshot

Source: Guns.com