OBJECTIVES: For children fourteen years old or younger, injuries are the main cause of death and one of the principal causes of morbidity in Canada. Low Socio-Economic Status (SES) appears to be correlated to a higher incidence of injuries. The main objective of this study is to determine the presence of pediatric Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) hotspots by analyzing the correlation of SES and TBI rates in Greater Vancouver, BC, Canada.

METHODS: We identified all pediatric TBI patients hospitalized in BC between 2000 and 2013 by using pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury data obtained from the BC Trauma Registry. Pediatric TBI hotspots were identified through the utilization of spatial analysis techniques. Census variables correlated to rates of injury were assessed by employing a multivariate negative binomial regression.

RESULTS: In BC’s Lower Mainland, a total of six hundred and fifty-three severe pediatric TBI injuries were recorded between 2000 and 2013. 335 cases involved injury severity scores (ISS) ≥ 25, while the rest were defined as moderately severe

CONCLUSIONS: Income based indicators appear to be unreliable predictors in Greater Vancouver, despite the clear correlation of SES and pediatric TBI rates in this region.