Description of Missouri children who suffer burn injuries.

OBJECTIVE This study uses Missouri's inpatient and outpatient E code data system to describe the demographic characteristics of Missouri children who suffered burn injuries during 1994 and 1995. METHODS Retrospective review of Missouri E code data. RESULTS Altogether 8,404 children aged 0-14 years were treated for burn injuries in Missouri hospitals during 1994 and 1995. The rate of burn injury in Missouri children was 339 per 100,000/year. African-American boys 0-4 years living in urban counties were at increased risk. In addition, African-American girls ages 0-4 years living in counties with a high poverty rate had raised burn injury rates. Burns from hot objects and scalds from hot liquids caused more than half of the burns. CONCLUSIONS Hospital based E coding has proven an invaluable tool for the study of burns and will, no doubt, prove equally useful for other injuries.