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Cause, Setting, and Ownership Analysis of Dog Bites in Bay County, Florida from 2009-2010. James Matthias Michael Templin. Background. CDC estimates more than 4.7 million dog bites occur annually More than 800,000 Americans will receive medical care resulting from dog bites
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Cause, Setting, and Ownership Analysis of Dog Bites in Bay County, Florida from 2009-2010 James Matthias Michael Templin
Background • CDC estimates more than 4.7 million dog bites occur annually • More than 800,000 Americans will receive medical care resulting from dog bites • Average cost of a dog bite-related hospital stay found to be $18,200 † • Data on dog bites typically collected through hospital discharge or emergency room visit data † http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb101.pdf
Hospital and Vital Statistics: Demographics Economics Short-term Outcomes Counts Basically the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and HOW MUCH Bay County Dataset Some Demographics Cause Restraint-levels Ownership Dog-Breed Basically the WHO, WHERE, HOW, and WHY How this data is different?
Presentation Objectives • Describe the 800 dog bite reports from 2009 to 2010 • Focus on 3 main variables by age and sex: • Victim’s relationship to the dog • Restraint level of dog at time of bite • Cause of the bite • Adapt prevention messages based on target audience
About Bay County • Major City: Panama City • 2010 Population*: 170,637 • White : 144,758 (84.8%) • Black : 19,893 (11.7%) • Hispanic: 7,725 (4.5%) • Industry: Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (17.7%), then Leisure and Hospitality (16.7%) • Per capita income:$36,316 • Est. Dog Pop.: 43,137† *Population estimates from: floridacharts.com †PetPopulation estimates from: AVMA U.S. pet ownership calculator
Role of Gender in Dog Bites * Victim’s relationship to dog is statistical significantly different by gender (p<0.001)
Victim’s Relationship to Dog • Nationwide 80% of bites to people under 18 years old caused by family or neighbor’s dog • Similar for 0 – 5 year olds in this dataset • 87% for 0 – 5 year olds • Only 59% for 6 – 14 year olds • Acquaintance dog bites represent 45% of bites to 0 – 5 year old girls • Half of all dog bites to 15+ year olds from dogs unfamiliar to victim
Restraint Status of the Dog • 32% of all dog bites occurred from unrestrained dogs off of the owner’s property • Comprised mostly of bites from an unfamiliar dog • 28% of bites occur within the home of the owner • 21% of bites occur from a dog restrained or confined on owners property
Causes of the Bite • Very little data on cause of dog bite most anecdotal • More than 90% of bites are provoked† • 100% of bites could be prevented • Modification of human behavior • Modification of dog and dog behavior • Modification of exposure and environment † http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1477646/pdf/pubhealthrep00185-0052.pdf
Causes of The Bite • Wide variety of causes with originally 24 different categories • Separating dog fights the number 1 cause of bites, unknown cause 2nd, and territorial or protective dog bites being 3rd • Cause of bite varies tremendously on age and sex of person bitten
Role of Gender in Dog Bites * Primary causes of dog bites are statistically different by gender (p<0.001)
Unknown Cause Dog Bites • 39% of bites to 0 – 5 year olds were due to unknown causes • Victim unable to describe incident • Lack of parental supervision • Between 7 to 14% for the other age groups • Systematic in most instances • Lack of desire to indicate the circumstances that caused the bite in some instances
A Unique Perspective • Able to gather bite information from sources outside of hospitals • Account for higher incidence rates observed in this study • Still required someone to report bite • Situational variables not commonly collected in statistical format including: • Restraint of the dog • Cause of the bite
Different Strata, Different Outcomes • Incidence varies by sex and age caused by changes in: • the cause of dog bites • the location of the attack • the relationship of the dog to the victim • other factors • The need for prevention messages or interventions to be tailored to target populations and circumstances (i.e. young boys vs. middle-aged women)
Questions? • Thank you to Michael Templin, Kalynn Pressly, and the Bay County Health Department for their time and effort in this project • Thank you to Kyla Shelton, Dr. Danielle Stanek, and members of the Florida Department of Health for their assistance in this project