Are There Changes in Inequalities in Injuries? A Review of Evidence in the WHO European Region

• Main Authors: Mathilde Sengoelge, Merel Leithaus, Matthias Braubach, Lucie Laflamme
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-02-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: unintentional injuries; health inequalities; country-level differences; Europe; road traffic; falls; burns; poisonings
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/4/653

Decreases in injury rates globally and in Europe in the past decades, although encouraging, may mask previously reported social inequalities between and within countries that persist or even increase. European research on this issue has not been systematically reviewed, which is the aim of this article. Between and within-country studies from the WHO European Region that investigate changes in social inequalities in injuries over time or in recent decades were sought in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Of the 27 studies retained, seven were cross-country and 20 were country-specific. Twelve reported changes in inequalities over time and the remaining 15 shed light on other aspects of inequalities. A substantial downward trend in injuries is reported for all causes and cause-specific ones—alongside persisting inequalities between countries and, in a majority of studies, within countries. Studies investigate diverse questions in different population groups. Depending on the social measure and injury outcome considered, many report inequalities in injuries albeit to a varying degree. Despite the downward trends in risk levels, relative social inequalities in injuries remain a persisting public health issue in the European Region.