Injuries in the North – analysis of 20 years of surveillance data collected by the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program

Abstract

BackgroundInjury is a major public health concern, particularly for Canadians living in Arctic regions where the harsh physical and social conditions pose additional challenges. Surveillance data collected over the past 2 decades through the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) provide insights into the burden of injuries in certain parts of Canada.ObjectivesThis study aims to summarize and compare patterns of injuries in the Northwest Territories (NWT) and Nunavut to other southern communities across Canada.MethodsAnalysis was based on CHIRPP data covering the period 1991–2010. Proportionate injury ratio (PIR) and its 95% confidence interval were used to summarize and compare the injury experience of Canadians living in the Arctic regions to other CHIRPP sites across Canada.ResultsBetween 1991 and 2010, there were 65,116 reported injuries. Approximately 83% of the cases were unintentional in nature; however, significantly higher proportions were observed for assaults and maltreatment (PIR=2.80, 95% CI: 2.72–2.88) among Canadians living in northern communities. Significantly higher proportions were also observed for crushing/amputations (PIR=2.28, 95% CI: 2.14–2.44), poison/toxic effects (PIR=1.21, 95% CI: 1.15–1.28), drowning/asphyxiations (PIR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.33–1.74) and frostbites (PIR=7.39, 95% CI: 6.60–8.28). The use of all-terrain vehicles or snowmobiles also resulted in significantly higher proportions of injuries (PIR=1.93, 95% CI: 1.79–2.09).ConclusionsThis study contributes to the limited literature describing injuries in northern communities where the harsh physical and social climates pose additional challenges. Excesses in the proportions identified in this study could be useful in identifying strategies needed to minimize injury risks in northern communities within Canada.

Status report – The Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program: a dynamic and innovative injury surveillance system

“…Moreover, the interest in using eCHIRPP to enhance injury surveillance in the North is strong, which would provide a valuable opportunity to assess the unique circumstances and injury patterns of northern injuries. 33 …”

The role of environmental factors in search and rescue incidents in Nunavut, Canada

“…5,9,14,15 However, by not accounting for exposure or quantity of travel on land, sea, or ice termed land-use previous studies do not capture links between environmental risk and injury. Without controlling for exposure, studies could simply be capturing fluctuations in land-use intensity, not risk.…”

“…[5][6][7] Mortality rates of unintentional injury in the Inuit territory of Nunavut, for example, are more than twice the national average, and potential years of life lost (2,763 per 100,000) more than three-times the national average. 8,9 Climate change may further amplify injury rates in the Canadian Arctic, given the strong relationship between Inuit and the land for culturally-valued harvesting activities and transport between communities on semi-permanent ice and land-based trails. 5,10,11 Over the past century in the Arctic, average surface air temperatures have increased by 5 o C, and perennial sea ice has declined by 9-14%; 12 Temperatures are projected to increase by an additional 2 o C to 9 o C this century, with wide ranging impacts.…”

Occupational injuries in Canadian youth: an analysis of 22 years of surveillance data collected from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program

“…21 A PIR greater than 1 indicates that the observed NOI in the occupationally injured subgroup is more common than the expected, based on the NOI occurring in the non-occupationally injured referent group. The PIR has been used in previous injury studies [22][23][24] and is a useful measure for assessing injury event frequency when population denominator information is unavailable. 25 All statistical analyses were completed using SAS software version 9.4 for Windows 26 and Microsoft Excel 2010.…”