NIH Portfolio of Unintentional Injury Research Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Children: Current Landscape and Future Opportunities

Unintentional injuries (UIs) caused by accidental suffocation, burns, drowning, falls, poisoning, and motor vehicle accidents are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children (Dellinger and Gilchrist. Am J Lifestyle Med;2017). Notable racial and ethnic disparities exist in accidental suffocation among infants and in motor vehicle injuries (MVI) among youth. The purpose of this study is to examine the National Institutes of Health's funded research projects addressing UIs, using a socioecological framework, and to determine whether funded projects align with key priorities for unintentional injuries among racial and ethnic minorities as identified by the research community. Between 2011 and 2018, a total of 130 grants that examined UIs were identified, thirty-four of which focused on UI research among children. Of those 34 grants, eight focused on UIs among racial and ethnic minority children. The analyses suggest four areas of opportunities, where more research is needed to (1) prevent accidental suffocation among American Indians and Alaska Natives; (2) strengthen the role of the health care sector to prevent UIs; (3) promote the use of an integrative multilevel social ecological approach to characterize UIs and help shape interventions; and (4) promote the collection and dissemination of local injury-specific data to develop interventions in community settings. Identifying gaps and opportunities for reducing the health burden of UI among racial and ethnic minorities can inform prevention efforts and guide the development of interventions that target these populations.