Contribution of violence to health inequalities in England: demographics and trends in emergency hospital admissions for assault.

In July 2008 the Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University published new research looking at the contribution of violence to health inequalities in England. The research team analysed the number of emergency admissions to hospitals across England between 2002 and 2006. During this period more than 120,000 people were admitted as an emergency, as a direct result of violence. Admissions for violent assault peaked on Saturdays and Sundays, with around one in five of the total admitted on each of these days. The study shows that the numbers of emergency hospital admissions, caused by violence, have risen 30% in four years across England and there’s a sixfold difference in rates between those living in the most affluent and most deprived areas of the country. Differences between affluent and deprived areas were already established in those under 15, with children in the poorest fifth of the country being five times more likely to be admitted due to violent assault compared with those in the most affluent fifth. When the figures were broken down further, they showed that men were almost six times as likely to be admitted as a result of violent assault, with most of the cases in the 15 to 29 age range. Modelling based on national assault admissions and limited Accident and Emergency (A&E) data suggest that while more serious assaults requiring hospital admission have increased, assault attendances at A&Es have fallen.

The full paper is available at http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/jech.2007.071589v2

For further details please contact the lead author, Professor Mark A Bellis Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, 0151 231 4510, m.a.bellis@ljmu.ac.uk