Effect of war on weapon-related deaths in Croatian children and youth.

Objective: To identify trends in weapon-related deaths associated with the Homeland War (1991-1995) among children in Croatia.

Design: Retrospective review.

Participants: Croatian children aged from birth through 19 years who died as the result of a weapon-related injury from 1986 through 2005. Main Exposure Injury deaths of children by intent (homicide, suicide, operations of war, and unintentional), cause, and age.

Outcome Measures: Number and rate of injury deaths among Croatian children before, during, and after the war.

Results: Compared with the period before the war, weapon-related homicide and suicide rates increased by more than 3-fold, and unintentional weapon-related deaths increased by more than 6-fold during the war. These increases persisted for 5 years following the end of the war and decreased more than 5 years after the war. Death rates from non-weapon causes did not increase during this period. Overall, 81.9% of the weapon-related deaths were caused by firearms and 18.1% were caused by explosive devices.

Conclusions: The Homeland War led to an increase in weapon-related deaths of all intents. Programs that focus on the prevention of weapon-related injuries should be integrated into programs that assist countries in rebuilding after political unrest.