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Language and unintentional injury mortality in Quebec, Canada
  1. Stephanie Burrows1,2,
  2. Nathalie Auger1,2,3,
  3. Ernest Lo3,4
  1. 1Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  2. 2Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  3. 3Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  4. 4Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  1. Correspondence to Dr Stephanie Burrows, Centre de recherche du CHUM/Université de Montréal, Tour Saint-Antoine, 850 rue Saint-Denis, S02-358, Montreal, Quebec H2X 0A9, Canada; stephaniejburrows{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Language-based differences in unintentional injury are poorly understood, despite the importance of language as a determinant of health. This study assessed inequalities in unintentional injury mortality between Francophones and Anglophones of Quebec, Canada. We calculated age-standardised rates of death by period, region, residential deprivation and cause of injury, and estimated rate ratios for Francophones relative to Anglophones. Francophones had higher unintentional injury mortality rates than Anglophones. Inequalities decreased over time for men, but rates remained 50% higher for Francophones at the end of the study period. Rates were stable for women, but were 30% higher for Francophones compared with Anglophones. Inequalities were larger at age 15–44 years, in urban areas, and for MVCs. Better understanding of risk factors for MVCs may benefit injury prevention in Quebec. Language-based differences in injury mortality warrant attention in other multilingual populations, especially across different demographic, temporal, regional and cause-of-injury groups.

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