Socioeconomic Factors Play Important Contributory Role in SCA

Background: Suspected child abuse (SCA) cases frequently present with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Objective: To study the contributory relationship between social determinants of health (SDOH) and the incidence of SCA. Design: Single, major, U.S. institution, retrospective study. Methods: SCA cases encountered between 2016 and 2023 were included. Data were collected from emergency department (ED) records and also from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The institution had a dedicated team to evaluate all SCA cases. SDOH data were gathered from a recently introduced, publicly available resource by CDC, known as CDC/PLACES/SDOH. This framework defines 9 key measures that influence health and well-being. This is the first study to apply this type of social data to pediatric TBI, particularly SCA. Machine learning was used to identify which factors most strongly contribute to SCA. Results: The total cohort had 2945 patients, 2551 (86.6%) non-SCA and 394 (13.3%) SCA. The more...