NONFATAL FIREARM INJURIES IN NEW-ZEALAND, 1979-1992

Study objective: To describe the epidemiology of serious nonfatal fire arm injury in New Zealand. Methods: Cases of nonfatal firearm-related injury were extracted from the hospital inpatient data files of the Ne w Zealand Health Information Service for the period 1979 to 1992 inclu sive. Results: There were 1,239 firearm-related injuries, or 2.7 injur ies per 100,000 population per year. Males, persons aged 15 to 24 year s, certain occupational groups, and persons living in rural environmen ts had higher rates of injury. Unintentional incidents accounted for 6 4% of the injuries. At least 25% of the incidents involved shotguns, a nd a further 20% involved rifles. Conclusion: The results presented he re serve to support the attention that has been given to prevention of firearm injuries in New Zealand. Priority should be given to establis hment of a surveillance system that would provide uniform data on fire arm-related mortality and morbidity to aid in risk factor research and development and evaluation of intervention programs.