6.4-O5
Ethnic inequalities in burn types in children in England and Wales: analyses of the Burns and Scalds Assessment tool (BaSAT) data

Background:

There seems to be weak evidence on ethnic differences in children on the risk of burn thermal injuries as found in a systematic review of published research on paediatric burn epidemiology in some high income countries. Thus, this study aims to see the association between ethnicity and paediatric burn injuries presenting to some emergency departments (EDs).

Methods:

Ethnic information (based on the UK 2011 census classification) was collected from parents/carers of children reporting to EDs with burns. The Burns and Scalds Assessment Template (BaSAT) is a template designed to collect detailed clinical and socio-demographic information on burns presenting at EDs. 1,364 of 2779 burn cases collected from July 2012-November 2016 were appropriate for inferential analyses. The main outcome was burn type (scalds versus non scalds). Burn depth (severe versus non-severe) and cold running water (CRW) first aid were secondary outcomes. Inferential analyses involved multivariate logistic regression via STATA 14. Variables of interest were 81.9% to 100% complete.

Results:

Children from ethnic minorities (except those who were “Mixed”) were more likely to have a scald than a non scald compared to those from the White majority, Asian OR = 1.70 (95% CI: 1.14-2.55) and Black OR = 2.65 (95% CI: 1.44-4.89). This association dispersed after controlling for individual, family and environmental factors. Furthermore, children from ethnic minorities showed no association with deeper burns and CRW first aid respectively compared to children from the White majority before and after controlling for all 3 factor groups.

Conclusions:

Children from ethnic minority backgrounds are not at more risk of having scalds compared to non-scalds; deeper burns or lesser likelihood of having CRW first aid (after controlling for all factors) compared to those from the ethnic majority.