The global burden of child burn injuries in light of country level economic development and income inequality

TLDR

Child burn mortality varies widely across regions and is linked to material deprivation, yet global distribution data are scarce, underscoring the need for safe living conditions and medical care to reduce preventable deaths. The study aims to map child burn mortality by country in relation to economic level and income inequality to evaluate macro‑level improvement potential. Using Global Burden of Disease 2013 data for ages 1–14, the authors calculated country‑level burn mortality rates, estimated potential lives saved, and correlated these rates with GDP per capita and Gini Index via Spearman coefficients. Globally, child burn mortality is 2.5 per 100,000, highest in Sub‑Saharan Africa (4.5), and 34,000 lives could be saved annually if all countries matched high‑income rates; mortality declines with higher GDP per capita but shows no consistent link to income inequality, indicating urgent prevention needs in middle‑income countries and Sub‑Saharan Africa.

Abstract

Child burn mortality differs widely between regions and is closely related to material deprivation, but reports on their global distribution are few. Investigating their country level distribution in light of economic level and income inequality will help assess the potential for macro-level improvements. We extracted data for child burn mortality from the Global Burden of Disease study 2013 and combined data into 1–14 years to calculate rates at country, region and income levels. We also compiled potential lives saved. Then we examined the relationship between country level gross domestic product per capita from the World Bank and income inequality (Gini Index) from the Standardized World Income Inequality Database and child burn mortality using Spearman coefficient correlations. Worldwide, the burden of child burn deaths is 2.5 per 100,000 across 103 countries with the largest burden in Sub-Saharan Africa (4.5 per 100,000). Thirty-four thousand lives could be saved yearly if all countries in the world had the same rates as the best performing group of high-income countries; the majority in low-income countries. There was a negative graded association between economic level and child burns for all countries aggregated and at regional level, but no consistent pattern existed for income inequality at regional level. The burden of child burn mortality varies by region and income level with prevention efforts needed most urgently in middle-income countries and Sub-Saharan Africa. Investment in safe living conditions and access to medical care are paramount to achieving further reductions in the global burden of preventable child burn deaths.