A Window of Opportunity: Understanding Pediatric Falls Using Area Deprivation Index

The purpose of our study is to assess neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage (NSD) as a risk factor for window falls (WF) in children. A single institution retrospective review was performed of patients ≤18 years old with fall injuries treated at a Level I trauma center between 2018 to 2021. Demographic, injury, and NSD characteristics which were collected from a trauma registry were analyzed and compared between WF versus non-window falls. Area Deprivation Index (ADI) was used to measure NSD levels based on patients' home address 9-digit zip code, with greater NSD being defined as ADI quintiles 4 and 5. Property type was used to compare falls that took place at single-family homes versus apartment buildings. Among 1,545 pediatric fall injuries, 194 were WF, of which 60% were male and 46% were Hispanic. WF patients were younger than NWF patients (median age WF 3.2 vs. age 4.3, p