Injury Prevention
Center for Injury Prevention Links
Some Facts about Injury:
• Injury is the leading cause of death for Americans age 1- 44 and the primary cause of lost years of productive life.
• For those 1-34, injury claims more lives than all other causes combined.
• The majority (68%) of the 160,000 fatalities per year are unintentional. Of these, more than 42,000 fatalities are from motor vehicles crashes alone.
• Thereare nearly 35 million Emergency Department visits for injuries annually, accounting for about 1/3 of all ED visits in the US.
• The total cost of injuries including acute and rehabilitative medical care, lost wages, and lost productivity tops $406 billion/year (2000 dollars). This represents about 4% of the US gross national product (GNP).
Injury - Defined:
"Any unintentional (i.e. falling or tripping) or intentional (i.e. assault, abuse or attempted suicide) damage to the body resulting from acute exposure to energy (thermal, mechanical, electrical, or chemical) or from the absence of essentials (such as heat or oxygen)."
A Brief History of Injury Prevention
• Injuries have been traditionally regarded either as random and unavoidable occurrences (accidents or acts of God) or as consequences of human malevolence or carelessness. Prevention strategies for these types of events include prayer and human improvement. However, in the 19th century, environmental risk factors for injury prevention became more discernible, and challenges of accident prevention and industrial safety began to receive sustained attention.
• The Highway Safety Act of 1966 signaled a national commitment to injury prevention. This act enabled The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) to set motor vehicle safety standards and to create grants for research and programs promoting highway safety.