# Social Inequalities in Dog Bites and Strikes in Scotland: Evidence from Administrative Health Records and Implications for Prevention Policy

## TL;DR

This study shows dog bite injuries in Scotland are more common among younger people and those in deprived areas, suggesting prevention policies should address social inequalities.

## Contribution

The paper provides new evidence on social inequalities in dog bite injuries in Scotland and suggests policy approaches that consider these patterns.

## Key findings

- Dog bite injuries increased in Scotland from 2007 to 2019, partly due to improved reporting.
- Younger people and those in deprived areas are at higher risk for dog bite injuries.
- Current policies focusing on dog breeds and punitive measures may be ineffective for addressing social inequalities in dog-related injuries.

## Abstract

In the UK, there is growing concern about injuries from dog bites and strikes (DBS) and how best to prevent them. In this paper, we examine administrative health records in Scotland about incidents when an injury was caused by a dog. The analysis of that data allows us to assess trends in the number of incidents and selected social circumstances associated with them. We find that, in Scotland between 2007 and 2019, there was some growth in the rate of injuries, although some of this reflects improved reporting, rather than more incidents. More importantly, we find that there are strong social patterns in DBS incidents, for instance, that younger people are more often involved and that incidents more often occur in areas with higher deprivation. In light of such patterns, we discuss how policies to prevent dog-related injuries would benefit from thinking more holistically about social inequalities in risks, in a similar way to how other social inequalities in public health are recognised and responded to.

This paper reports findings on the social patterning of dog bite injuries in Scotland and discusses their implications for prevention policies. Previous studies have shown evidence of social inequalities in dog bites in other countries, but this analysis provides new evidence about Scotland. Three sources of health record data are used (NHS 24 (telephone) records, accident and emergency department records, and hospital admissions records). The records span the period of 2007–2019 and combine information on 59,111 health records involving injuries caused by dogs (from 48,599 different individuals). The results are presented, summarising the volume of dog bite injuries across time periods by the age of respondents, the location of the incident, and the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation categorisation for their locality. The results suggest consistent patterns of social inequality in injuries caused by dogs. We argue that the most important finding concerns the higher risk for people from more deprived areas, and we discuss mechanisms that might lie behind the patterns and how policies might respond to them. Existing policies focus on the breed of dog and punitive strategies, but we argue that different approaches are more likely to be effective in addressing a socially stratified public health issue.