JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Homicide rates for persons 15 through 24 years old began to decline between 1993 and 1994, but recent trends in homicide rates by mechanism of homicide and urbanization group have not been described. ⋯ After increasing since 1987, firearm and nonfirearm homicide rates began declining between 1993 and 1995 among persons 15 through 24 years old. These declines are taking place across all urbanization strata and among white and black males and females.
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The majority of prior studies examining intimate partner abuse in the emergency department (ED) setting have been conducted in large, urban tertiary care settings and may not reflect the experiences of women seen at community hospital EDs, which treat the majority of ED patients in the United States. ⋯ If the prevalence of abuse in community hospitals throughout the United States is similar to the range of prevalence estimates found in this study, then heightened awareness of intimate partner abuse is warranted for patients presenting to the ED.
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Studies have demonstrated strong associations between the prone sleep position (on the stomach) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that infants be placed to sleep laterally (on their side) or supine (on their back) to reduce SIDS risk, and in 1994, the national public education campaign "Back to Sleep" was launched. ⋯ The prevalence of infants placed in the prone sleep position declined by 66% between 1992 and 1996. Although causality cannot be proved, SIDS rates declined approximately 38% during this period. To achieve further reduction in prone sleeping, efforts to promote the supine sleep position should be aimed at groups at high risk for prone placement.