Citation

Ackerson LK, Subramanian SV. Am. J. Public Health 2010; 100(11): 2163-2164.

Affiliation

University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2009.179259

PMID

20167883

Abstract

Personal freedoms have been characterized as "positive" (freedom to pursue opportunities) and "negative" (freedom from external constraints on decision making). An ecological analysis of US data revealed a strong positive association (r=0.41; P=.003) between state-level negative personal freedom (defined in terms of regulation of personal behavior) and state-level age-adjusted rates of unintentional injury. A conceptual emphasis on positive freedom construed as freedom to pursue a life without risk of unintentional injury could help motivate a conversation to improve public health.

Language: en