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Sivarajasingam V, Page N, Wells J, Morgan P, Matthews K, Moore S, Shepherd J. Trends in violence in England and Wales 2010-2014. J Epidemiol Community Health 2015; 70:616-21. [PMID: 26715592 DOI: 10.1136/jech-2015-206598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The National Violence Surveillance Network (NVSN) of emergency departments (ED), minor injuries units and walk-in-centres in England and Wales has brought clarity to contradictory violence trends derived from crime survey and police data. Gender, age-specific and regional trends in violence-related injury in England and Wales since 2010 have not been studied. METHODS Data on violence-related injury were collected from a structured sample of 151 EDs in England and Wales. ED attendance date and age and gender of patients who reported injury in violence from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2014 were identified from attendance codes, specified at the local level. Time series statistical methods were used to detect both regional and national trends. RESULTS In total, 247 016 (178 709 males: 72.3%) violence-related attendances were identified. Estimated annual injury rate across England and Wales was 4.4/1000 population (95% CI 3.9 to 4.9); males 6.5/1000 (95% CI 5.6 to 7.2) and females 2.4/1000 (95% CI 2.1 to 2.6). On average, overall attendances decreased by 13.8% per year over the 5 years (95% CI -14.8 to -12.1). Attendances decreased significantly for both genders and all age groups (0-10, 11-17, 18-30, 31-50, 51+ years); declines were greatest among children and adolescents. Significant decreases in violence-related injury were found in all but two regions. Violence peaked in May and July. CONCLUSIONS From an ED perspective, violence in England and Wales decreased substantially between 2010 and 2014, especially among children and adolescents. Violence prevention efforts should focus on regions with the highest injury rates and during the period May-July.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicholas Page
- Violence Research Group, School of Dentistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - John Wells
- Violence Research Group, School of Dentistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Peter Morgan
- Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Kent Matthews
- Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Simon Moore
- Violence Research Group, School of Dentistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jonathan Shepherd
- Violence Research Group, School of Dentistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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Moore SC, Alam MF, Cohen D, Hood K, Huang C, Murphy S, Playle R, Moore L, Shepherd J, Sivarajasingam V, Spasic I, Stanton H, Williams A. All-Wales Licensed Premises Intervention (AWLPI): a randomised controlled trial of an intervention to reduce alcohol-related violence. PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH 2015. [DOI: 10.3310/phr03100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundViolence in and around premises licensed for the on-site sale and consumption of alcohol continues to burden the NHS with assault-related injuries.Trial designA randomised controlled trial with licensed premises as the unit of allocation, with additional process and cost-effectiveness evaluations.MethodsPremises were eligible (n = 837) if they were licensed for on-site sale and consumption of alcohol, were within 1 of the 22 local authorities (LAs) in Wales and had previously experienced violence. Data were analysed using Andersen–Gill recurrent event models in an intention-to-treat analysis. An embedded process evaluation examined intervention implementation, reach, fidelity, dose and receipt. An economic evaluation compared costs of the intervention with benefits.InterventionPremises were randomised to receive a violence-reduction intervention, Safety Management in Licensed Environments (SMILE), which was delivered by an environmental health practitioner (EHP; the agent). SMILE consisted of an initial risk audit to identify known risks of violence, a follow-up audit scheduled to enforce change for premises in which serious risks had been identified, structured advice from EHPs on how risks could be addressed in premises and online materials that provided educational videos and related material.ObjectiveTo develop intervention materials that are acceptable and consistent with EHPs’ statutory remit; to determine the effectiveness of the SMILE intervention in reducing violence; to determine reach, fidelity, dose and receipt of the intervention; and to consider intervention cost-effectiveness.OutcomeDifference in police-recorded violence between intervention and control premises over a 455-day follow-up period.RandomisationA minimum sample size of 274 licensed premises per arm was required, rounded up to 300 and randomly selected from the eligible population. Licensed premises were randomly assigned by computer to intervention and control arms in a 1 : 1 ratio. Optimal allocation was used, stratified by LA. Premises opening hours, volume of previous violence and LA EHP capacity were used to balance the randomisation. Premises were dropped from the study if they were closed at the time of audit.ResultsSMILE was delivered with high levels of reach and fidelity but similar levels of dose to all premises, regardless of risk level. Intervention premises (n = 208) showed an increase in police-recorded violence compared with control premises (n = 245), although results are underpowered. An initial risk audit was less effective than normal practice (hazard ratio = 1.34, 95% confidence interval 1.20 to 1.51) and not cost-effective. Almost all eligible intervention premises (98.6%) received the initial risk audit; nearly 40% of intervention practices should have received follow-up visits but fewer than 10% received one. The intervention was acceptable to EHPs and to some premises staff, but less so for smaller independent premises.ConclusionsSMILE was associated with an increase in police-recorded violence in intervention premises, compared with control premises. A lack of follow-up enforcement visits suggests implementation failure for what was seen as a key mechanism of action. There are also concerns as to the robustness of police data for targeting and assessing outcome effectiveness, while intervention premises may have received greater attention from statutory agencies and, therefore, the identification of more violence than control premises. Although SMILE had high reach and was feasible and acceptable to EHPs, it was found to be ineffective and associated with increased levels of violence, compared with normal practice and it requires additional work to promote the implementation of follow-up enforcement visits. Future work will aim to better understand the role of intervention dose on outcomes and seek more objective measures of violence for use in similar trials.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN78924818.FundingThis project was funded by the NIHR Public Health Research programme and will be published in full inPublic Health Research; Vol. 3, No. 10. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon C Moore
- Violence Research Group, School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Mohammed Fasihul Alam
- Health Economics and Policy Research Unit, Faculty of Life Sciences and Education, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, UK
- Swansea Centre for Health Economics, College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - David Cohen
- Health Economics and Policy Research Unit, Faculty of Life Sciences and Education, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, UK
| | - Kerenza Hood
- South East Wales Trials Unit, Institute of Translation, Innovation, Methodology and Engagement, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Chao Huang
- South East Wales Trials Unit, Institute of Translation, Innovation, Methodology and Engagement, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Simon Murphy
- Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Rebecca Playle
- South East Wales Trials Unit, Institute of Translation, Innovation, Methodology and Engagement, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Laurence Moore
- Medical Research Council/Chief Scientist Office (MRC/CSO) Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, School of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Jonathan Shepherd
- Violence Research Group, School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Vaseekaran Sivarajasingam
- Violence Research Group, School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Irena Spasic
- School of Computer Science and Informatics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Helen Stanton
- Violence Research Group, School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Anne Williams
- Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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Abstract
Part of the great tradition of surgery, exemplified by the Royal College precept, 'From Here Health', is that surgeons are committed to prevention as well as cure. King James IV and his able contemporary in China, where this lecture was delivered, Emperor Hongzhi, would have approved of it. This tradition has, perhaps, been neglected since the emergence of public health as a medical specialty. However, opportunities and reasons for surgeons to contribute to prevention have never been greater. Community violence prevention--increasing public safety in the towns and cities in which surgeons work--is an example. Primary prevention of injury achieved by collecting and sharing unique information about weapons and the locations of assault, secondary prevention achieved by combining wound care with motivational interviewing to reduce alcohol misuse, and tertiary prevention achieved by early referral to mental health professionals for treatment of post-traumatic stress, have been integrated into a new care pathway which combines prevention with surgical care. Individuals and communities would benefit substantially if every surgical specialty incorporated prevention--a professionally highly-rewarding activity--into its training curriculum.
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