Citation

Smith SM, Molloy BK, Winick HJ, Graitcer PL. J. Environ. Health 1992; 54(6): 22-25.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, National Environmental Health Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Termed the number one public health problem in the United States, injuries are even more devastating to rural Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives. As part of an increased public health focus on injuries, the Centers for Disease Control and the Indian Health Service are developing model injury control programs in three Service Units. Epidemiologic analysis of existing data from these three units offered a unique opportunity to evaluate population-based injury mortality and morbidity and to compare fatal and nonfatal injury patterns. Unintentional and intentional (suicide and homicide) injuries accounted for from 19.4 percent to 23 percent of deaths in fiscal year 1985. During FY 81-85, from 10.4 percent to 20.7 percent of hospitalizations and from 5 percent to 6.4 percent of outpatient visits resulted from injuries. At one site, age-adjusted injury hospitalization rates exceeded the estimated U.S. rate by almost 200 percent. Motor vehicle- related injuries were the leading external cause of death at each site; falls and motor vehicle-related injuries ranked highest as causes for hospitalization. The reported proportion of alcohol-associated injuries requiring hospitalization ranged from 8.8 percent to 18.4 percent. These data suggest an urgent need to develop intervention programs targeted to local problems.

Language: en

Keywords

human; suicide; injury; united states; mortality; traffic accident; morbidity; rural population; article; major clinical study; controlled study; population research; ethnic group; disease control; rural health care