Contextual determinants of childhood injury: A systematic review of studies with multilevel analytic methods

Abstract

Background. The definition of injury that underpins the contemporary approach to injury prevention is an etiological definition relating to bodily damage arising from transfer of energy to tissues of the body beyond the limits compatible with physiological function. Causal factors proximal to the energy transfer are nested within a more complex set of contextual determinants. For effective injury control, understanding of these determinants is critical. Objectives. The primary aims of this study were to describe the area-level determinants that have been included in multilevel analyses of childhood injury and to quantify the relationships between these area-level exposures and injury outcome..