Characteristics and neighborhood-level opportunity of assault-injured children in Milwaukee.

BACKGROUND: Multiple studies have explored demographic characteristics and social determinants of health in relation to the risk of pediatric assault-related injuries and reinjury. However, few have explored protective factors. The Child Opportunity Index (COI) uses neighborhood-level indicators to measure 'opportunity' based on factors such as education, social environment, and economic resources. We hypothesized that higher 'opportunity' would be associated with less risk of reinjury in assault-injured youth. METHODS: This was a single-institution, retrospective study at a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center. Trauma registry and electronic medical record data were queried for children ≤ 18 years old with assault-related injuries from 1/1/2016 to 5/31/2021. Reinjured children, defined as any child who sustained more than one assault injury, were compared to non-reinjured children. Area Deprivation Index (ADI), a marker of socioeconomic status, and COI were determined through census block and tract data, respectively. A post-hoc analysis examined COI between all assault-injured children, unintentionally injured children, and a state-based normative cohort representative of non-injured children. RESULTS: There were 55,862 traumatic injury encounters during the study period. Of those, 1224 (2.3%) assault injured children were identified, with 52 (4.2%) reinjured children and 1172 (95.8%) non-reinjured children. Reinjured children were significantly more likely to be older (median age 15.0 [IQR 13.8-17.0] vs. median age 14.0 [IQR 8.8-16.0], p < 0.001) and female (55.8% vs. 37.5%, p = 0.01) than non-reinjured children. COI was not associated with reinjury. There were also no significant differences in race, ethnicity, insurance status, ADI, or mechanism and severity of injury between cohorts. Post-hoc analysis revealed that assault-injured children were more likely to live in areas of lower COI than the other cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to children who sustained only one assault during the study period, children who experienced more than one assault were more likely to be older and female. Furthermore, living in an area with more or less opportunity did not influence the risk of reinjury. However, all assault-injured children were more likely to live in areas of lower COI compared to unintentionally injured and a state-based normative cohort. Identification of factors on a social or environmental level that leads to assaultive injury warrants further exploration.

Homicide in children under ten years old in México: A 20-year study / Homicidio en menores de 10 años en México: 20 años de estudio

Abstract Background: In a society, children are the most vulnerable members of the population. Violence experienced in Mexico during the last decade has also affected children under ten years of age. Objective: Analyze the trend of homicides in children under ten years from 1998 to 2017. Methods: A longitudinal study of homicides in children under ten years of age was conducted in Mexico from 1998 to 2017. Several analytic techniques were applied to study the mortality tendency during the study period in this population. Results: 5,188 homicides occurred in children under ten years during the study period, 57% were in boys and 70% were in children under five years of age. Hanging and strangulation were the most common types of homicides for girls under one year of age. The home was the most frequently reported place of occurrence. Children between 5-10 years old were 3.1 times more likely to die from a firearm injury than those under 0-5 years old. It was also found that minors who resided in the Northern region of the country had a 2.7 times higher risk of firearm mortality compared to those who resided in the central region. Conclusions: It is important to implement protective measures, especially for those under one year, along with the need to create multi sectorial interventions that ensure protective environments for children. Moreover, observatory programs could be used to improve the quality of administrative records for decision-making.

Resumen Antecedentes: En una sociedad, los niños son los miembros más vulnerables de la población. La violencia vivida en México durante la última década también ha afectado a personas menores de 10 años. Objetivo: Analizar la tendencia de los homicidios en niños menores de 10 años de 1998 a 2017. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio longitudinal de homicidios en niños menores de 10 años en México de 1998 a 2017. Se aplicaron diversas técnicas analíticas para estudiar la tendencia de la mortalidad durante el período de estudio. Resultados: De los 5,188 homicidios ocurridos, el 57% fueron en niños y el 70% en menores de cinco años; el ahorcamiento y el estrangulamiento fueron los principales mecanismos de homicidio de niñas menores de 1 año. El hogar fue el lugar de mayor ocurrencia de homicidios. Los niños entre 5 y 10 años murieron 3.1 veces más por arma de fuego que los menores de 0 a 4 años. Los menores que residían en el norte del país tenían 2.7 veces más riesgo de mortalidad por armas de fuego en comparación con los que residían en la región central. Conclusiones: Es importante implementar medidas de protección, especialmente para los menores de un año, junto con la necesidad de crear intervenciones multisectoriales que aseguren ambientes de protección para los niños. Además, los observatorios podrían utilizarse como una estrategia para mejorar la calidad de los registros administrativos y focalizar la toma de decisiones.

Association between ambient temperature and intentional injuries: A case-crossover analysis using ambulance transport records in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies based on mortality and crime data have indicated that short-term exposure to higher temperature increases the risk of suicide and violent crimes. However, there are few studies on non-fatal intentional injury, especially on non-fatal self-harm which is much more common than suicide. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to clarify how short-term exposure to temperature is associated with emergency ambulance transport caused by intentional injuries including acts of self-harm and assault. METHOD: We applied a time-stratified case-crossover design using a conditional quasi-Poisson regression model for each of the 46 prefectures. All temperatures were converted to percentile value for each prefecture, to account for the varied climate across Japan. A Distributed Lag Non-Linear Model was used to explore the temperature percentile and lag pattern. The prefecture-specific results were combined using a meta-analysis with the random effects model. RESULT: Between 2012 and 2015, the number of acts of self-harm and assault across all 46 prefectures totaled 151,801 and 95,861, respectively. We found that as the temperature increased, the relative risk (RRs) for both self-harm and assault behaviors increased in a nearly linear manner. The pooled relative risk at the 99th percentile temperature for self-harm behavior was 1.11 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.15) compared with the risk at the 1st percentile temperature, and that for assault was 1.12 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.16) at lag 0. The RRs were highest at lag0 and less than 1 at lag7-20. CONCLUSION: The present study found that short-term exposure to higher temperature promotes the risk of emergency ambulance transport due to acts of self-harm and assault. The lag pattern indicates a possible "displacement" effect. These results suggest that exposure to high temperatures may potentially function as a trigger for intentional injuries.

Homicide in children under ten years old in México: A 20-year study.

Background: In a society, children are the most vulnerable members of the population. Violence experienced in Mexico during the last decade has also affected children under ten years of age. Objective: Analyze the trend of homicides in children under ten years from 1998 to 2017. Methods: A longitudinal study of homicides in children under ten years of age was conducted in Mexico from 1998 to 2017. Several analytic techniques were applied to study the mortality tendency during the study period in this population. Results: 5,188 homicides occurred in children under ten years during the study period, 57% were in boys and 70% were in children under five years of age. Hanging and strangulation were the most common types of homicides for girls under one year of age. The home was the most frequently reported place of occurrence. Children between 5-10 years old were 3.1 times more likely to die from a firearm injury than those under 0-5 years old. It was also found that minors who resided in the Northern region of the country had a 2.7 times higher risk of firearm mortality compared to those who resided in the central region. Conclusions: It is important to implement protective measures, especially for those under one year, along with the need to create multi sectorial interventions that ensure protective environments for children. Moreover, observatory programs could be used to improve the quality of administrative records for decision-making.

Antecedentes: En una sociedad, los niños son los miembros más vulnerables de la población. La violencia vivida en México durante la última década también ha afectado a personas menores de 10 años. Objetivo: Analizar la tendencia de los homicidios en niños menores de 10 años de 1998 a 2017. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio longitudinal de homicidios en niños menores de 10 años en México de 1998 a 2017. Se aplicaron diversas técnicas analíticas para estudiar la tendencia de la mortalidad durante el período de estudio. Resultados: De los 5,188 homicidios ocurridos, el 57% fueron en niños y el 70% en menores de cinco años; el ahorcamiento y el estrangulamiento fueron los principales mecanismos de homicidio de niñas menores de 1 año. El hogar fue el lugar de mayor ocurrencia de homicidios. Los niños entre 5 y 10 años murieron 3.1 veces más por arma de fuego que los menores de 0 a 4 años. Los menores que residían en el norte del país tenían 2.7 veces más riesgo de mortalidad por armas de fuego en comparación con los que residían en la región central. Conclusiones: Es importante implementar medidas de protección, especialmente para los menores de un año, junto con la necesidad de crear intervenciones multisectoriales que aseguren ambientes de protección para los niños. Además, los observatorios podrían utilizarse como una estrategia para mejorar la calidad de los registros administrativos y focalizar la toma de decisiones.

Coronavirus disease 2019 crisis and intentional injuries: now is not the time to erode alcohol control policies.

In Canada, and elsewhere, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has resulted in a social, economic, and alcohol policy environment that is likely to contribute to a rise in intentional injuries, whether interpersonal or self-directed violence. Heavy drinking has been identified as an important risk factor for intentional injuries, and with the erosion of alcohol control policies on alcohol availability, heavy drinking is likely to increase. During a time of social isolation, economic loss, psychological distress, and reduced access to health services and support networks, all of which are catalytic factors for both intentional injuries and heavy alcohol use, what is needed is individualized and population-based preventive interventions aimed at reducing alcohol consumption, rather than decisions to increase certain forms of alcohol availability.

Intentional injuries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990-2015: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study.

OBJECTIVES: We used GBD 2015 findings to measure the burden of intentional injuries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) between 1990 and 2015. METHODS: The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study defines intentional injuries as a combination of self-harm (including suicide), interpersonal violence, collective violence (war), and legal intervention. We estimated number of deaths, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for each type of intentional injuries. RESULTS: In 2015, 28,695 individuals (95% UI: 25,474-37,832) died from self-harm, 35,626 (95% UI: 20,947-41,857) from interpersonal violence, and 143,858 (95% UI: 63,554-223,092) from collective violence and legal interventions. In 2015, collective violence and legal intervention was the fifth-leading cause of DALYs in the EMR and the leading cause in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya; they account for 49.7% of total DALYs in Syria. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings call for increased efforts to stabilize the region and assist in rebuilding the health systems, as well as increasing transparency and employing preventive strategies to reduce self-harm and interpersonal injuries.

Factors contributing to intentional injuries in Iranian university students.

Background Intentional injuries refer to injuries resulting from purposeful human action, whether directed at oneself or others. This study was performed to assess intentional injuries in Iranian university students. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out with 430 female and male university in three higher education institutions located in the northern part of Iran in the year 2015. Samples were chosen through the stratified cluster random sampling method. They were requested to fill out the demographic data form and the Persian version of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey Questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis via the SPSS v.13 software. Findings Intentional injuries were more frequent in the male university students than female (p < 0.05). Also, 9.1% and 6.7% of the university students were physically injured or sexually assaulted by a boy/girl friend. No statistically significant difference was reported in dating violence between the male and female university students. The logistic regression test showed that the history of stealing money from parents without their permission, son's preferences in the family and gender are the most important predisposing factors for the university students' intentional injury. Conclusion It is suggested that health policy makers consider the role of family in programs that have been designed for improving the health of young people.

Suicide and self-inflicted injury hospitalizations in Canada (1979 to 2014/15). / Associations longitudinales entre l'influence des parents et des pairs et l'activité physique durant l'adolescence : résultats de l'étude COMPASS.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this paper is to describe the trends and patterns of self-inflicted injuries, available from Canadian administrative data between 1979 and 2014/15, in order to inform and improve suicide prevention efforts. METHODS: Suicide mortality and hospital separation data were retrieved from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) holdings of Statistics Canada's Canadian Vital Statistics: Death Database (CVS:D) (1979 to 2012); Canadian Socio-Economic Information Management System (CANSIM 2011, 2012); the Hospital Morbidity Database (HMDB) (1994/95 to 2010/11); and the Discharge Abstract Database (2011/12 to 2014/15). Mortality and hospitalization counts and rates were reported by sex, 5-year age groups and method. RESULTS: The Canadian suicide rate (males and females combined, all ages, age-sex standardized rate) has decreased from 14.4/100 000 (n = 3355) in 1979 to 10.4/100 000 (n = 3926) in 2012, with an annual percent change (APC) of -1.2% (95% CI: -1.3 to -1.0). However, this trend was not observed in both sexes: female suicide rates stabilized around 1990, while male rates continued declining over time-yet males still accounted for 75.7% of all suicides in 2012. Suffocation (hanging and strangulation) was the primary method of suicide (46.9%) among Canadians of all ages in 2012, followed by poisoning at 23.3%. In the 2014/15 fiscal year, there were 13 438 hospitalizations in Canada (excluding Quebec) associated with self-inflicted injuries-over 3 times the number of suicides. Over time females have displayed consistently higher rates of hospitalization for self-inflicted injury than males, with 63% of the total. Poisoning was reported as the most frequent means of self-inflicted harm in the fiscal year 2014/15, at 86% of all hospitalizations. CONCLUSION: Suicides and self-inflicted injuries continue to be a serious - but preventable - public health problem that requires ongoing surveillance.

INTRODUCTION: Cette étude a pour objet de décrire, à l'aide de données administratives canadiennes, les tendances et les caractéristiques des blessures auto-infligées entre 1979 et 2014-2015, afin d'orienter et d'améliorer les mesures de prévention du suicide. RÉSULTATS: Le taux de suicide au Canada (hommes et femmes confondus, tous âges, et taux normalisé selon l'âge et le sexe) a diminué, passant de 14,4/100 000 (n = 3 355) en 1979 à 10,4/100 000 (n = 3 926) en 2012, soit une variation annuelle en pourcentage (VAP) de ­1,2 % (IC à 95 % : ­1,3 à ­1,0). Cependant, cette tendance n'a pas été observée chez les deux sexes : chez les femmes, les taux de suicide se sont stabilisés vers les années 1990, tandis que chez les hommes, ils ont continué de décliner au fil du temps ­ malgré le fait que les suicides chez les hommes constituent toujours 75,7 % de tous les suicides en 2012. La suffocation (pendaison et strangulation) était en 2012 la principale méthode de suicide (46,9 %) chez les Canadiens de tous âges, suivie de l'intoxication (23,3 %).Au cours de l'exercice 2014-2015, il y a eu 13 438 hospitalisations au Canada (à l'exclusion du Québec) associées à des blessures auto-infligées ­ ce qui représente plus de trois fois le nombre de suicides. Au fil du temps, les femmes ont systématiquement présenté des taux d'hospitalisation plus élevés pour des blessures auto-infligées que les hommes, soit 63 % du total. L'intoxication a été la méthode la plus fréquemment déclarée de préjudice autoinfligé au cours de l'exercice 2014-2015, constituant 86 % de toutes les hospitalisations. CONCLUSION: Les suicides et les blessures auto-infligées demeurent un problème de santé publique grave ­ mais évitable ­ qui exige une surveillance constante.

Intentional injury hospitalizations in geographical areas with a high percentage of Aboriginal-identity residents, 2004/2005 to 2009/2010.

INTRODUCTION: This study describes rates of self-inflicted and assault-related injury hospitalizations in areas with a relatively high percentage of residents identifying as First Nations, Métis and Inuit, by injury cause, age group and sex. METHODS: All separation records from acute in-patient hospitals for Canadian provinces and territories excluding Quebec were obtained from the Discharge Abstract Database. Dissemination areas with more than 33% of residents reporting an Aboriginal identity in the 2006 Census were categorized as high-percentage Aboriginal-identity areas. RESULTS: Overall, in high-percentage Aboriginal-identity areas, age-standardized hospitalization rates (ASHRs) for self-inflicted injuries were higher among females, while ASHRs for assault-related injuries were higher among males. Residents of high-percentage Aboriginal-identity areas were at least three times more likely to be hospitalized due to a self-inflicted injury and at least five times more likely to be hospitalized due to an assault-related injury compared with those living in low-percentage Aboriginal-identity areas. CONCLUSION: Future research should examine co-morbidities, socio-economic conditions and individual risk behaviours as factors associated with intentional injury hospitalizations.

TITRE: Hospitalisations pour blessures intentionnelles dans les régions à fort pourcentage de résidents d'identité autochtone, 2004-2005 à 2009-2010. INTRODUCTION: Cette étude décrit les taux d'hospitalisation pour blessures auto-infligées et pour blessures par agression dans les régions à pourcentage relativement élevé de résidents s'identifiant comme membres des Premières nations, Métis ou Inuits, par cause de blessure, par tranche d'âge et par sexe. MÉTHODOLOGIE: Tous les dossiers de sortie des hôpitaux de soins de courte durée des provinces et territoires du Canada hors Québec ont été tirés de la Base de données sur les congés des patients. Les aires de diffusion où plus de 33 % des résidents ont déclaré appartenir à un groupe autochtone au recensement de 2006 ont été classées comme « régions à fort pourcentage d'Autochtones ¼. RÉSULTATS: Dans l'ensemble, dans les régions à fort pourcentage d'Autochtones, les taux d'hospitalisation normalisés selon l'âge (THNA) pour blessures auto-infligées étaient plus élevés chez les femmes, tandis que les THNA pour blessures par agression étaient plus élevés chez les hommes. Comparativement aux résidents des régions à faible pourcentage d'Autochtones, les résidents des régions à fort pourcentage d'Autochtones étaient au moins trois fois plus susceptibles d'avoir été hospitalisés pour blessures autoinfligées et au moins cinq fois plus susceptibles d'avoir été hospitalisés pour blessures par agression. CONCLUSION: Les recherches à venir devraient analyser les comorbidités et les conditions socioéconomiques ainsi que les comportements à risque individuels comme facteurs associés à l'hospitalisation pour blessures auto-infligées.

The Jamaica Injury Surveillance System a profile of the intentional and unintentional injuries in Jamaican Hospitals / El Sistema de Vigilancia de Lesiones en Jamaica (SVLJ) u n perfil de las lesiones intencionales y no intencionales en hospitales de Jamaica

BACKGROUND: Injuries in Jamaica are a major public health problem as demonstrated by a hospital based computerized injury surveillance system established in 1999 that provides a risk profile for injuries. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Injury data from 2004 were selected to provide an annual profile, as comprehensive injury data were available from nine public hospitals. These nine public hospitals provide care for 70% of the Jamaicans admitted to hospitals annually. RESULTS: Data are presented on unintentional injuries where falls caused 44%, lacerations 27% and accidental blunt injuries were 17% of these. For motor vehicle related injuries, 55% were sustained while commuting by motorcars, 17% while riding motorbikes/bicycles and 16% of those injured were pedestrians. Most violence related injuries were due to fights (76%) with acquaintances (47%) who used sharp objects (40%) to inflict the injury. CONCLUSION: The Jamaica Injury Surveillance System (JISS) data, augmented by data collected on injuries from the health centres and the sentinel surveillance system, give a measure of the magnitude of the impact of injuries on the health services. The JISS provides data on the profile of injuries seen and treated at health facilities in Jamaica. In collaboration with police data and community-based surveys, it can be used to complete the risk profiles for different types of injuries. The data generated at the parish, regional and national levels form the basis for the design and monitoring of prevention programmes, as well as serve to support and evaluate policy, legislative control measures and measures that impact on interventions.

ANTECEDENTES: Las lesiones constituyen un problema importante de la salud pública en Jamaica, como lo demuestra el sistema de vigilancia computarizada de las lesiones, establecido en 1999, el cual proporciona un perfil de riesgo de las lesiones. SUJETOS Y MÉTODO: Datos de lesiones ocurridas en el 2004 fueron seleccionados a fin de ofrecer un perfil anual, ya que se disponía de un conjunto amplio de datos de nueve de los hospitales públicos. Estos nueve hospitales públicos dan atención al 70% de los jamaicanos ingresados a los hospitales cada año. RESULTADOS: Se presentan datos sobre lesiones no intencionales, según los cuales las caídas representaron el 44%, las laceraciones el 27% y las contusiones accidentales el 17%. En cuanto a las lesiones relacionadas con automóviles, el 55% fueron producidas durante la transportación diaria en vehículos automotores a centros de trabajo o estudio; el 17% se produjo en viajes en motos o bicicletas; y el 16% de los heridos fueron peatones. La mayoría de las lesiones relacionadas con la violencia se debieron a peleas (76%) con conocidos (47%) que usaron objetos perforocortantes (40%) para infligir las heridas. CONCLUSIÓN: Los datos del SVLJ, aumentados con los datos sobre lesiones recopilados en los centros de salud y el sistema de vigilancia centinela, dan una medida de la magnitud del impacto de las lesiones en los servicios de salud. El SVLJ proporciona datos sobre el perfil de las lesiones vistas y tratadas en los centros de salud de Jamaica. En colaboración con datos de la policía y encuestas a nivel de la comunidad, el sistema puede ser usado para completar los perfiles de riesgo en relación con diferentes tipos de lesiones. Los datos generados a nivel provincial, regional y nacional constituyen la base para el diseño y monitoreo de los programas de prevención. Asimismo, sirven para apoyar y evaluar políticas, legislaciones, medidas de control así como medidas relativas al impacto de las intervenciones.

Incidence of physical injuries in a rural community in sri lanka: results of the first community survey in sri lanka.

BACKGROUND: Injuries account for approximately 11% of all hospital admissions in Sri Lanka. However, no published data are available with regard to the community incidence of injuries in Sri Lanka. OBJECTIVES: To determine the community incidence of major intentional and unintentional physical injuries in a rural community in Sri Lanka. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A rural community consisting of 225 families with 1029 inhabitants was studied. Data on major injuries for a period of one year were collected retrospectively. RESULTS: There were 85 major injuries in the community during the year of study. This gives a major injury incidence of 82.6 per 1000 person years. This is three times the incidence based on hospital-derived data. Animal bites being the most common cause of injury was noted in 2.3% of the population followed by falls in 1.6%, contact with objects in 1.5%, cut injuries in 1% and road trauma in 1%. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a higher incidence of major physical injuries (both intentional and unintentional) in the community than figures derived from hospital data. The prevention of injuries in a community such as the one studied here should be aimed at animal bites, falls, contacts with objects, cut injuries and road trauma.

¿Cuándo utilizan servicios de salud las mujeres que viven en condiciones de violencia de pareja?

resumen está disponible en el texto completo

Abstract: Introduction Violence is recognized as a Public Health problem around the world. In the specific case of Intímate Partner Abuse, which occurs at home, women are particularly vulnerable to be abused by their partners. In Mexico, as in other countries in Latin America, the systematic study of violence towards women is incipient. However, it is a highly predominant problem, which has a big impact on women's health, and represents a significant challenge to the Health System demanding health care due to intentional injuries. This paper analyzed information generated by the first National Survey of violence against women in 2003 (ENVIM, by his name in Spanish). Objective The main objective is to identify the factors associated with the health services utilization by women, because of partner abuse. Methodology A cross-sectional design was used, including women users of health care services on public institutions all over the country in 2003. Intimate partner abuse was defined as "the repetitive event of abuse from the male partner side towards the woman, that is characterized by coercive conducts that could include physical, emotional or sexual violence". It was measure in a scale of 27 items, using the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA) and the Severity of Violence against Women Scale (SVAWS). Both indexes were vali-dated previously in Mexican population. A factorial analysis was used and the factors that explain the variability were obtained. The selection of women to be interviewed was done using a probabilistic stratify biethapic sample. For the first one, medical unites were selected, and for the second, women over 14 years old who went to those medical unities to demand any kind of health care services. The ethic considerations were resolved using the next procedures: participants received information about the research objectives and signed an informant consent letter endorsed by the ethical committee of the Institution. They also received a brochure with information about the local institutions where they can go in case of abuse. Interviewers trained in technical areas as well as abuse management using a questionnaire on private spaces did the data collection. The answer rate was of 98%. The analyzed variables were Socio demographic, search of support on the health staff or reasons for not doing this. An index of socio-economic level categorized as very low, medium and high. Type of institution and services used. The dependent variable was utilization of the health services to attend the injuries due to a partner abuse event, during the last 12 months. The analysis used was simple and bivariate using chi square, and binary logistic regression model. The final model included the variables that in the binary showed a value of p<0.25. We ad-justed the model using the Goodness of Fit Test of Pearson. Results From 24,958 women that utilized public health services 21% reported to have had a partner abuse event in the last year. From these, only 7.3% utilized health services. The more important variables were: age between 25 to 34 years old, elementary schooling and women having a job. Of the sample 94% belong to the very low and medium socio-economic levels; almost half of them (47%) do not have health insurance. More than 80% have a partner at present; 7.6% reported severe violence. From those who had injuries, 72% declared to have had just one minor injury (bruises, body aches), 25.5% reported more than one type of injuries, from which 10.8% were severe and required surgery or hospitalization. The type of injuries that demand more utilization of health services were those subsequent to sexual abuse as genital infection and genital bleeding. Only 45% of the women users' report to have medical insurance. Less than 6% of abused women talked with the health staff about their abuse situation and the main reason was the lack of trust. The factors associated to the utilization of health services were ages over 24 years(ORA 1.57, CI 95% 1.9 - 2.06) alcohol intake by the women (ORA =1.66 CI 95% 1.57-1.75) High Socio economic status (ORA =1.29 CI95% 1.07-1.54). The model was adjusted by severity index and to having medical insurance. There were not significative interactions (p>0.15) and the global adjusted model was p= 0.23. Discussion and conclusions There is a low percentage of abused women injured that utilize formal medical care. This is a very important result for the identification of prevention and control strategies of the partner abuse problem in the health services. The study shows the existence of different types of injuries or medical problems such as genital infections and bleedings, fainting spells, body aches that provoked on one hand that women did not seek medical attention immediately and on the other that the health staff could not identify this kind of health problems with intimate partner abuse. There is a group of more vulnerable women who do not use health services to take care of the consequences of abuse, because they are uninsured. This inequality reveals that it is urgent to provide support services to poor women in the country. The finding about the difficulty for battered women to report their injuries to the health staff because of their lack of trust, agrees with different studies that report the different obstacles found by abused women in facing the health services. The last situation reveals the obstacles to be solved for the NOM implementation too. It is important to mention the study limitations related with the design utilized, and the selection bias due to the inclusion only of users of services. This situation leaves at one side women with less resources, who confront big obstacles for the utilization of health services, and at the other, women from high socio-economic levels, who utilize private health services; therefore there is no accuracy the point out differences. The way in which the question about the utilization of health services was made, makes it difficult to know the number of times these were used. This variable must be explored in future studies. The information generated by the ENVIM allows the Health Sector to define identification-attention strategies of battered women and provides information about the importance of training the health staff to generate trust among in partner-abused women.