Citation

Saß AC. Dtsch. Arztebl. Int. 2008; 105(36): 604-608.

Affiliation

Robert Koch-Institut, Abteilung Epidemiologie und Gesundheitsberichterstattung, Berlin.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Deutscher Ärzte-Verlag)

DOI

10.3238/arztebl.2008.0604

PMID

19471621

PMCID

PMC2680561

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In the year 2006 there were over 19,000 fatal accidents in Germany and estimates put the number of accidental injuries at more than 8 million. Detailed information on the pattern of accidents is indispensable for the definition of priorities in accident prevention. METHODS: The German Telephone Health Survey 2004 provides representative cross-sectional data on the health of German residents from 18 years of age (n = 7341). Questions on the prevalence of accidents (13 items) were selected for analysis. RESULTS: Every tenth interviewee reported being injured in an accident in the previous 12 months. Men, particularly young men, are at greater risk of accidents than women. Almost one third of all accidents occurred at home. Social status had no influence on the probability of having an accident, but did affect where the accident happened. CONCLUSION: The survey yields information on the overall pattern of non-fatal accidents in Germany. The data point to target groups for accident prevention measures.

Language: en