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Background: While crime and violence in schools are derived primarily from factors external to schools, violent behavior may also be aggravated by factors in the school environment, including the physical environment, its educational and social climate, and its organizational capacity and composition. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of the school's organizational and educational environment on crime rates in secondary schools and to examine how neighborhood factors influence these relationships. Methods: School and neighborhood crime rates for 95 middle (MS) and high (HS) schools were calculated using data from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Police Department and Los Angeles Police Department, respectively. School-level organizational and educational variables, including the academic performance index (API), were obtained from the California Department of Education. A measure of neighborhood dilapidation was created using variables collected on a neighborhood environmental survey. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between organizational and educational school variables and school crime rates. Community crime and dilapidation were added to the model to examine the influence of the school-community context relationships. Results: HS had higher crime rates than MS. As the percentage of certified teachers and student to staff ratios increased, school crime decreased (p less than 0.01). An API of below basic performance was significantly associated with increasing school crime rates (p less than 0.05). Neighborhood crime was not significantly associated with school crime, although dilapidation was positively and significantly associated with school crime even after controlling for community crime (p less than 0.05). Conclusions: Both school- and neighborhood-level factors were associated with increasing crime rates in secondary schools. School violence prevention efforts should include school and community partnerships to address these potentially modifiable factors. (Contains 3 tables.)

Examined the incidence of violence-related injuries in an urban school district, comparing characteristics of intentional and unintentional injuries. Data from student accident report forms indicated that 77.2 percent of injuries were unintentional, 16.8 percent were intentional, and 6.0 percent were of unknown intent. High school students and males in all grades had the highest injury rates. Most injuries occurred during school hours. (SM)

The quality of documentation of child physical abuse by doctors has shown minimal improvement in the 15 years between 1980 and 1995 even though many efforts have been made to make staff aware of methods of evaluation. More than half of the records lacked some documentation of at least one important aspect, whether it was witnesses to the injury itself, previous injuries, description of injuries, genital examination, or illustration or the injury. Even use of a structured form did not significantly improve documentation., Objectives. To determine the effects of increased physician training and a structured clinical form on physician documentation of child physical abuse. Design. Retrospective chart review. Participants. Children evaluated in the pediatric emergency department in 1980 and 1995 who were given the diagnosis of physical abuse. Measurements. The unstructured pediatric emergency department form and the structured child abuse reporting form were reviewed for documentation of 20 items including history, physical examination, diagnostic procedures, and disposition. Data documented in 1980 were compared with that in 1995. Results. The only significant differences between 1980 and 1995 concerning documentation on the unstructured pediatric emergency department form were better recording in the latter year of Child Protective Services involvement and case disposition. Half or more of the records omitted documentation of at least one of the following: witnesses to injury, past injuries, description of size and/or color of injuries, illustration, and a genital exam. None of the records contained a developmental history. Significantly fewer skeletal surveys were obtained in 1995, although notation of the results was similar to 1980. For both years, the structured child abuse reporting form improved documentation of only two items: time of arrival to the pediatric emergency department and illustrations of injuries. Conclusions. Little improvement in physician documentation of child physical abuse was noted between 1980 and 1995 despite increased efforts to educate housestaff in the evaluation of child abuse during this time period. Although a structured form prompted physicians to document dates and times and to illustrate physical injuries on the diagram provided, it did not significantly improve documentation of other items. Pediatrics 1998; 102:53-58; child abuse, physical abuse, documentation., During the past decade, a growing body of medical literature has described physical and behavioral findings suggestive of child abuse. In addition, most general pediatric textbooks now include chapters on [...]

During one winter season, two children with rotavirus gastroenteritis who developed fulminant disseminated intravascular coagulation were seen at our hospital. Disseminated intravascular coagulation probably resulted from hypovolemic shock and acidosis, although extraintestinal spread of the virus cannot be excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]