a. SES and Burn Risk
The results of the VANDIX are very similar to the spatial pattern in the original VANDIX constructed by Bell et al. (2007). The lowest two quintiles which show greater social depravation also show a higher instance of burn injury. These results further validate recent literature, which shows an association between high social deprivation and burn injury occurrence (Edelman, 2007).
Edelman (2007) made three general conclusions regarding SES and burn risk:
- Poverty (which was associated with a lack of education and employment)
- Single parent and large families
- Substandard housing
When the VANDIX factors are compared to the risk factors proposed by Edelman (2007) similarities arise. For example:
- Edelman recognizes poverty as the first risk factor and the VANDIX includes average income as a factor.
Edelman’s (2007) second risk factor is single parent and large families. The VANDIX considers single parent family within the index. - The third risk factor is identified by Edelman as substandard housing. The VANDIX considers home ownership as a measure of neighborhood deprivation and those who do not own their own home are at a higher deprivation.
Edelman’s risk factors are not a comprehensive or exhaustive list, these risk factors are generalized conclusions made regarding the study of several factors observed in burn injury cases. Therefore, the VANDIX can also be used to determine risk analysis of burns in Metropolitan Vancouver.
b. Differences between Males and Females
In each quintile there is a noticeable trend which shows that males have a higher instance of burn injury than females.
In a study which reviewed one year of burns cases in a British Emergency department (Chipp et al., 2007):
- 53% of burns injuries were male
- 19% of burns in males occurred at work (66%)
- Scalds and chemical burns were the most common type of occupational burn received by males
Although data is not available at this time to assess the circumstances under which the burns from this study were received, it is interesting to note possible explanations for the higher instances of burns in males.
