Volume 11 — November 13, 2014
GIS SNAPSHOTS
Tracking Youth Self-Inflicted Injury Hospitalizations to Target High-Risk Communities, Leverage Resources, and Unify Stakeholder Efforts: Illinois Department of Public Health
These maps illustrate the burden of self-inflicted injury among youth aged 15 to 18 in Illinois. The 2 maps are divided into county boundaries with additional layers showing high-risk counties for self-inflicted injury. Each map is shaded to show burden and includes an additional layer. Map A shows self-inflicted injury based on county rate and count by county. Most high-rate counties are in the central and north-central regions of the state. Map B shows high-risk counties and the implementation of the Gatekeeper training. Most high-risk counties are located in the central and northern regions of the state. The greatest number of schools participating in Gatekeeper training is located in northern Illinois, aligning with high-risk counties. Additional outreach is needed in central Illinois.
Figure. Working to expand youth suicide prevention activities, the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Youth Suicide Prevention Project developed these maps to 1) illustrate the burden of self-inflicted injury among youth aged 15 to 18, 2) display the locations of schools receiving Gatekeeper trainings, and 3) to identify high-risk counties for self-inflicted injury and future suicides. Using inpatient and outpatient hospitalization counts and rates (Map A), counties were identified as high-risk for youth self-inflicted injury (Map B). Used together, these maps will allow stakeholders to expand the reach of Gatekeeper trainings by increasing high school recruitment in high-risk counties with no current participation.
Notes: A high-risk county has a hospitalization rate above the state average and a hospitalization count in the top 2 quartiles. Cook County is considered a high-risk county because its hospitalization count is the highest in the state (n = 3,481).
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