Article: The contribution of charcoal burning to the rise and decline of suicides in Hong Kong from 1997-2007
| Title | The contribution of charcoal burning to the rise and decline of suicides in Hong Kong from 1997-2007 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authors | Law, CK3 Yip, PSF1 Caine, ED2 | ||||||
| Keywords | Carbon monoxide poisoning Charcoal burning Method substitution Restriction to means Suicide Suicide prevention | ||||||
| Issue Date | 2011 | ||||||
| Publisher | Springer Medizin. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.springer.com/steinkopff/psychiatrie/journal/127 | ||||||
| Citation | Social Psychiatry And Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2011, v. 46 n. 9, p. 797-803 [How to Cite?] DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00127-010-0250-y | ||||||
| Abstract | Background: There has been scant research exploring the relationship between choice of method (means) of self-inflicted death, and broader social or contextual factors. The recent emergence and growth of suicide using carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from burning charcoal in an enclosed space (hereafter, "charcoal burning") was related to an increase in the overall suicide rate in Hong Kong. The growth of this method coincided with changing economic conditions. This paper expands upon previous work to explore possible relationships further. Purpose: This study aims to discern the role of charcoal burning in overall suicide rate transition during times of both economic recession and expansion, as captured in the unemployment rate of Hong Kong, and to examine whether there was evidence of an effect from means-substitution. Methods: Age and gender specific suicide rates in Hong Kong by suicide methods from 1997 to 2007 were calculated. To model the transition of suicide rate by different methods, Poisson regression analyses were employed. Results: Charcoal burning constituted 18.3% of all suicides, 88% of which involved individuals drawn from the middle years (25-59) of life. During both periods of rising and declining unemployment, charcoal burning played an important role in the changing suicide rates, and this effect was most prominent among for those in their middle years. Means-substitution was found among the married women during the period of rate advancement (1997-2003). Conclusions: Compared to others, working-age adults preferentially selected carbon monoxide poisoning from charcoal burning. © 2010 Springer-Verlag. | ||||||
| ISSN | 0933-7954 2011 Impact Factor: 2.696 2011 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.098 | ||||||
| DOI | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00127-010-0250-y | ||||||
| ISI Accession Number ID | WOS:000293949100001
Funding Information: This work was supported in part by a University of Hong Kong Post-doctoral Fellowship and Small Project Funding (200807176182), (CK Law, PI) and in part by NIH grants P20 MH071897 (E.D. Caine, PI) and D43 TW005814 (E.D. Caine, PI). The authors would like to thank the two reviewers and the editor for their valuable comments and suggestions on this article. | ||||||
| References | References in Scopus | ||||||
| Grants | An evaluative study on the efficacy of Emergency Medicine wards for deliberate self-harm patients in Tuen Mun Hospital of Hong Kong |
| dc.contributor.author | Law, CK | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dc.contributor.author | Yip, PSF | ||||||
| dc.contributor.author | Caine, ED | ||||||
| dc.date.accessioned | 2011-10-28T02:52:22Z | ||||||
| dc.date.available | 2011-10-28T02:52:22Z | ||||||
| dc.date.issued | 2011 | ||||||
| dc.description.abstract | Background: There has been scant research exploring the relationship between choice of method (means) of self-inflicted death, and broader social or contextual factors. The recent emergence and growth of suicide using carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from burning charcoal in an enclosed space (hereafter, "charcoal burning") was related to an increase in the overall suicide rate in Hong Kong. The growth of this method coincided with changing economic conditions. This paper expands upon previous work to explore possible relationships further. Purpose: This study aims to discern the role of charcoal burning in overall suicide rate transition during times of both economic recession and expansion, as captured in the unemployment rate of Hong Kong, and to examine whether there was evidence of an effect from means-substitution. Methods: Age and gender specific suicide rates in Hong Kong by suicide methods from 1997 to 2007 were calculated. To model the transition of suicide rate by different methods, Poisson regression analyses were employed. Results: Charcoal burning constituted 18.3% of all suicides, 88% of which involved individuals drawn from the middle years (25-59) of life. During both periods of rising and declining unemployment, charcoal burning played an important role in the changing suicide rates, and this effect was most prominent among for those in their middle years. Means-substitution was found among the married women during the period of rate advancement (1997-2003). Conclusions: Compared to others, working-age adults preferentially selected carbon monoxide poisoning from charcoal burning. © 2010 Springer-Verlag. | ||||||
| dc.description.grant | An evaluative study on the efficacy of Emergency Medicine wards for deliberate self-harm patients in Tuen Mun Hospital of Hong Kong | ||||||
| dc.description.grantcode | 99349 | ||||||
| dc.description.nature | Link_to_subscribed_fulltext | ||||||
| dc.identifier.citation | Social Psychiatry And Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2011, v. 46 n. 9, p. 797-803 [How to Cite?] DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00127-010-0250-y | ||||||
| dc.identifier.citeulike | 7412942 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00127-010-0250-y | ||||||
| dc.identifier.epage | 803 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.hkuros | 197388 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.hkuros | 178291 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.isi | WOS:000293949100001
Funding Information: This work was supported in part by a University of Hong Kong Post-doctoral Fellowship and Small Project Funding (200807176182), (CK Law, PI) and in part by NIH grants P20 MH071897 (E.D. Caine, PI) and D43 TW005814 (E.D. Caine, PI). The authors would like to thank the two reviewers and the editor for their valuable comments and suggestions on this article. | ||||||
| dc.identifier.issn | 0933-7954 2011 Impact Factor: 2.696 2011 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.098 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.issue | 9 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.pmid | 20574845 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.scopus | eid_2-s2.0-80052316560 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.spage | 797 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/142593 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.volume | 46 | ||||||
| dc.language | eng | ||||||
| dc.publisher | Springer Medizin. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.springer.com/steinkopff/psychiatrie/journal/127 | ||||||
| dc.publisher.place | Germany | ||||||
| dc.relation.ispartof | Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | ||||||
| dc.relation.references | References in Scopus | ||||||
| dc.rights | The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com | ||||||
| dc.subject.mesh | Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - economics - mortality | ||||||
| dc.subject.mesh | Charcoal - economics | ||||||
| dc.subject.mesh | Coal - economics - poisoning | ||||||
| dc.subject.mesh | Hong Kong - epidemiology | ||||||
| dc.subject.mesh | Suicide - economics - trends | ||||||
| dc.subject | Carbon monoxide poisoning | ||||||
| dc.subject | Charcoal burning | ||||||
| dc.subject | Method substitution | ||||||
| dc.subject | Restriction to means | ||||||
| dc.subject | Suicide | ||||||
| dc.subject | Suicide prevention | ||||||
| dc.title | The contribution of charcoal burning to the rise and decline of suicides in Hong Kong from 1997-2007 | ||||||
| dc.type | Article |
Author Affiliations
- The University of Hong Kong
- University of Rochester
- Chinese University of Hong Kong